International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has acquired exclusive rights to the 2018 PGA Championship, with the US golf major to serve as its launch event in the UK and Ireland.
The centenary edition of the PGA Championship, the last major of the year, runs from August 9-12 at the Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, with Eleven to offer three different means of watching.
All four rounds will be shown live and free of charge through a seven-day trial on the Eleven Sports online platform via elevensports.uk, and on iOS and Android mobile and tablet apps. The first two rounds will also be streamed for free on Facebook Live through the Eleven Sports UK page.
The Eleven Sports online platform and the mobile and tablet apps will be launched ahead of the event starting in early August, when details of how to subscribe, plus a pricing plan for the premium action on Eleven Sports beyond the PGA Championship will also be announced.
During the first two days of the Championship, Eleven will show live coverage of two selected groups on elevensports.uk, on the mobile and tablet apps, and on Facebook from approximately 4pm GMT until 7pm. Then, from approximately 7pm, full uninterrupted coverage will run through to the close of play on the same platforms.
The final two rounds will be shown on elevensports.uk and on the mobile and tablet apps, with full uninterrupted coverage running from approximately 5pm through to the close of play on each day. Comprehensive highlights will also be available on demand on elevensports.uk and on the mobile and tablet apps on all four days of the tournament.
“Launching Eleven Sports in the UK and Ireland with such a prestigious event as the 100th PGA Championship, confirms our position as a major player in the market,” Danny Menken, group managing director of Eleven Sports, said.
“We are looking forward to maximising this fantastic opportunity to appeal to existing golf fans through comprehensive free-to-air live coverage and analysis, while also growing new audiences with our fresh and innovative ways of delivering leading sports action.”
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC broadcast the 2017 PGA Championship under a late deal that marked a return to coverage of all four days of a major following the controversial loss of rights to The Open.