Augusta partners with Facebook to show 2019 US Masters in the Middle East

Augusta National Golf Club has partnered with social media giant Facebook to broadcast the 2019 US Masters to select countries in the Middle East for free.

The tournament, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, will be broadcast on the US Master’s Facebook page in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

“This is more a partnership than a deal,” Facebook told SportBusiness Media on Thursday.

The Facebook partnership came as Augusta National Golf Club said Wednesday that near-live US Masters 2019 highlights will be posted on the tournament’s website and app for the first time, but would not be available to broadcast partners.

Facebook’s tie-up with the US Masters marks a further move by the social network into premium sports broadcasts. It agreed this week a sub-licensing deal with pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports for the Copa Libertadores in South America.