US media company Discovery has acquired the Golf Digest media brand and expanded its relationship with the PGA Tour, furthering its presence in the sport, it said on Monday.
Discovery has bought Golf Digest from US media group Condé Nast and said the deal will lead to the creation of the largest digital golf media business in the US.
The acquisition adds Golf Digest to online streaming service GolfTV’s offerings that already include exclusive coverage of the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Ladies European Tour, as well as the Masters, in select territories outside the US, in addition to Discovery’s exclusive global content partnerships with Tiger Woods and Francesco Molinari.
Golf Digest’s editorial content, including news, instructional videos, and rankings, as well as items such as ‘100 Greatest Course Rankings’ and its annual ‘Hot List’, will seek to drive engagement for GolfTV around the world, provide opportunities for Discovery to leverage its golf content in the US and bring more opportunities to partner with the PGA Tour and players.
Golf Digest, which earns nearly half of its revenues from digital advertising and has been an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA Tour since 2006, will continue to publish a US monthly print magazine and Discovery will assume the global licenses for editions serving nearly 70 countries.
Additionally, Discovery and the Tour are expanding their 12-year strategic partnership with a new content and sales relationship in the US, among other initiatives.
The organisations will join forces to create the largest digital network in golf with an activation platform, now including Golf Digest, for advertisers to engage with fans and players. This includes a full suite of editorial coverage, live and on-demand video streaming, digital, social, print and branded content opportunities.