NEW YORK: Following their landmark 12-year deal with Discovery Communications, The PGA Tour has roped in Facebook to distribute exclusive Saturday and Sunday live competition coverage, on a free basis, from eight tournaments leading into the FedExCup Playoffs for the 2017-18 season.
The matches will be aired on ‘Facebook Watch’ in USA and will be produced under the PGA Tour Live brand. The Tour will uniquely produce this coverage for Facebook’s social video platform, with interactive elements aimed to engage fans. For example, the coverage will incorporate fan questions and comments.
The Facebook Watch coverage will begin at the Travelers Championship on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24. The remaining events in 2018 include: Quicken Loans National; A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; John Deere Classic; RBC Canadian Open; World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Wyndham Championship; and THE NORTHERN TRUST.
“We are thrilled to add Facebook to an already impressive lineup of global digital and broadcast partners,” said Chris Wandell, VP Media Business Development of the PGA TOUR.
“The PGA Tour has put a premium on distributing exclusive content on emerging media platforms with a goal of reaching new and diverse audiences.”
“No matter if it’s a weekend foursome or water-cooler conversation about a top moment on TOUR, golf brings people together,” said Devi Mahadevia, Facebook’s North America Live Sports Programming Lead.
“So we’re delighted to partner with the PGA Tour to help it reach new fans and deliver interactive, live coverage on Facebook that taps into the social nature of the sport.”
The agreement also will ensure the coverage of a range of on-demand programming, including tournament previews, round recaps and extended player highlights – all of which will be available in the USA on Facebook Watch and globally via the PGA Tour Live show Page.
Earlier in May, the PGA Tour and Facebook teamed up to stream more than 30 hours of live coverage from The Players’ Championship. It had also joined hands with Twitter and Intel to deliver a live 360 degree-VR experience for the same event last year.
Worldwide, PGA Tour tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2017, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $180 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.65 billion.
