The Covid 19 pandemic will certainly lead to a variety of broadcasting conflicts if leagues and schedules are pushed back. We have already seen a surprising abdication when Turner gave up his UEFA Champions League package in mid-stream.
We now have another example where Fox has reportedly challenged the rest of their contract with the USGA and NBC is slated to air the newly scheduled US Open in September. According to Associated Press golf author Doug Ferguson, this is:
The US Open will return to NBC this year at Winged Foot after Fox Sports has asked to end its 12-year contract with the USGA, several people told The Associated Press on Sunday evening.
Three people with direct knowledge of the change say that it has come together in the past two weeks. You spoke on condition of anonymity since the deal was not announced.
An announcement was expected on Monday.
Ferguson also reports that NBC is taking over the entire Fox deal, which is a fascinating crease:
One person said that NBC-owned Comcast will pick up the last seven years of the contract until 2026.
The change means that NBC will have the US Open and British Open as well as three golf world championships, the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup and the FedEx Cup playoffs every two years.
These rights appear to be of great value to networks that have no potential NFL conflicts. And assuming that a sports calendar may eventually return to historical normality, it looks like Fox is going to give up golf to avoid a soccer conflict this fall, provided professional and college football comes into play . It may not be a big surprise; In 2017, there were rumors that the USGA and Fox disagreed.
It’s somewhat unfortunate for golfers; When Fox got the rights in 2013, they promised to drive innovation, and although their first men’s US Open was extremely rocky, they had really made progress in recent years. And their influence on other networks is undeniable. Their commitment to shot tracer technology alone forced NBC and CBS to catch up on this front, and they were also leaders in adding microphones, highlighting architectural features, and making amateur golf accessible to a wider audience for men and women.
It is obviously also unfortunate for Fox’s remaining golf crew; Joe Buck will surely be fine, and Paul Azinger already had a split deal with NBC, so he will probably only step in, but someone should give Shane Bacon a golf gig (just to choose a name) if he wants to . And that’s just in front of the camera; The Fox production team is also full of talented people, and their vision for golf shows is something that every other network should try to incorporate.
The winner here is NBC; In addition to the US Open, Fox had the rights to the US Open and the above amateur championships, all of which are the types of inventory that Golf Channel can use urgently. NBC / Golf Channel, CBS and ESPN are now the only networks in the golf business, and NBC’s inventory is certainly impressive. The USGA has a new (but very well-known) home, and Fox’s short trip to the big championship golf is over for the foreseeable future.
That it is unfortunate is proof of how far away they were from 2015, and it is a shame that we cannot see where they would go next.
[Associated Press]
