The European Tour golf organisation has extended its association with the Golf Channel by signing a new 10-year rights deal with the US pay-television broadcaster.
The agreement includes all European Tour tournaments until the end of the 2024 season. The extension to the existing seven-year contract will begin in 2015.
Under the terms of the new agreement, the European Tour and Golf Channel will continue to work closely on the commercial delivery of events, whilst also collaborating to enhance the overall production of European Tour tournaments. In addition, the agreement encompasses rights to Golf Channel networks in Canada and Japan.
The new deal further underlines the European Tour’s long-term relationship with Golf Channel, which dates back to the broadcaster’s launch in January 1995 with its first live golf coverage at the Dubai Desert Classic tournament.
The partnership has been marked by several major milestones, including Golf Channel on NBC’s broadcast of the Scottish Open in July, which was the first regular European Tour event to be aired live on network television in the US.
Mike McCarley, president of Golf Channel, said: “The European Tour’s regular morning timeslot has kicked off Golf Channel’s tournament coverage days since the network’s launch and this extension further solidifies our strong partnership, which now will span three decades with this new agreement.”