UK pay-television broadcaster the BSkyB renewed its deal for golf’s European Tour and Ryder Cup, securing the rights for a further six years, until 2018.
Under the new deal, which starts in 2013, Sky will provide live and exclusive coverage of all European Tour tournaments, World Golf Championships and the next three Ryder Cups.
Public-service broadcaster the BBC also agreed a highlights deal for the Ryder Cup, covering the 2014, 2016, and 2018 editions of the tournament. Live and exclusive radio rights were also included in the deal. The BBC also acquired highlights rights to European Tour events, including the BMW PGA Championship, which is regarded as the flagship event of the Tour, and the Scottish Open.
Gleneagles in Scotland will play host to the Ryder Cup in 2014, followed by the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota in 2016, and Le Golf National in Paris, France, in 2018.
The European Tour’s chief executive George O’Grady said: “We are delighted to announce this long term agreement with both Sky and BBC Television, which guarantees the Tour superb high quality visibility for the next six years. Sky’s dedication and ground-breaking technology complements the performance of all our international members on the world stage, which currently sees three European Tour Members, all of whom are British, occupying the top three positions in the Official World Golf Ranking.”
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, added: “We have a valuable partnership with the European Tour; they have the events our viewers want to see and we have enjoyed the European Tour’s continued growth. We now look forward to taking this relationship well into its second decade.”
Sky’s current deal for European Tour and Ryder Cup rights, a four-year deal from 2009 to 2012, was agreed with European Tour Productions, a joint venture between the European PGA Tour and the IMG Media agency.