The NBC Sports Group division of media company NBCUniversal has acquired rights in the US for golf’s Open Championship.
The multi-platform deal will run for 12 years, from 2017 to 2028. The agreement with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which operates the Open, also includes coverage of the Senior Open, Walker Cup and Amateur Championship.
Coverage will be shown on the NBC network and NBC Sports Group broadcasters Golf Channel and NBC Universo in English and Spanish, respectively.
US pay-television sports broadcaster ESPN, which has had the rights for the past five years, will be dislodged after providing coverage of the 2015 and 2016 editions. ESPN reportedly pays $25m (€23m) per year, and although financial details of the new deal were not disclosed, Mark Lazarus, head of the NBC Sports Group, said that it represented a “fairly large increase.”
“We have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, an excellent relationship with ESPN,” R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said. “They have raised the bar in terms of covering major championship golf.”
On the new deal, Dawson added: “They have unparalleled experience in golf and have demonstrated a genuine desire to showcase and promote the Open and the R&A’s elite championships through their extensive range of channels and digital platforms.”