Golf
Long-serving European Tour media chief exits organisation
Golf’s European Tour has said Mark Lichtenhein will step down from his role as its head of television, digital media and technology with immediate effect.
Sky to make early start to Open coverage as BBC steps back
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky will assume live coverage of the Open Championship from the 2016 edition of the golf major after the acceptance of a proposal from public-service broadcaster the BBC to end its obligations a year early.
Learfield extends Patriot League partnership
The Learfield Sports agency has agreed a five-year extension to its exclusive multimedia rights partnership with college sports conference the Patriot League.
Netherlands set for new sports channel – report
Dutch cable operator Ziggo and pay-television broadcaster Sport1 will join forces to launch a new sports channel, according to the AD.nl website.
Launch date set for Eurosport’s Norwegian channel
International media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has confirmed the new regional version of its Eurosport pan-European channel will launch in Norway on September 3.
StarHub extends pay-TV reach with new OTT platform
Singaporean telecommunications company StarHub has launched a new online streaming service that will offer access to sports content provided via its pay-television operation.
Coliseum targets overseas expansion
New Zealand-based digital sports broadcaster Coliseum Sports Media has outlined plans to launch in overseas markets next year.
PGA Tour Live set to tee off in five markets
Golf’s PGA Tour has said its new PGA Tour Live digital over-the-top subscription service will launch tomorrow (Thursday) with the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia and the UK serving as initial customer markets.
Shift to pay-TV helps R&A boost global Open revenue
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club is expected to increase its global media rights revenue by about 64 per cent from 2015 to 2017.
Canal Plus reinforces African offering with new sports channels
Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has launched four dedicated sports channels in the African market.
BBC defends coverage of Open’s final round
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has defended its decision not to show the first six hours of play at golf’s Open Championship on Monday.
Fox Sports introduces virtual reality content for U.S. Open debut
The Fox Sports division of US network Fox has partnered with technology company NextVR to introduce live streaming virtual reality content to the 2015 U.S. Open, which represents the broadcaster’s inaugural edition of the golf major.
Eurosport aggression illustrates local intent
International broadcaster Eurosport agreed a spate of rights deals late last week as it continues to invest heavily in locally-relevant content.
NBC goes large to snatch Open
NBC Sports is understood to have paid a significant increase to prise rights to golf’s British Open from its long-term American home on ESPN.
MEDIA RIGHTS: May 28 to June 10
Media rights clips from May 28 to June 10
LeTV to bring USGA coverage to China
LeTV Sports, a new sports-rights venture operated by Chinese IPTV operator LeTV, has struck a rights deal with the US Golf Association.
The Open heads to NBC Sports Group as ESPN is dislodged
The NBC Sports Group division of media company NBCUniversal has acquired rights in the US for golf’s Open Championship.
BBC ‘committed’ to Open coverage
The BBC has responded to reports suggesting that the UK public-service broadcaster is considering curtailing its rights deal for golf’s Open Championship by saying that it is “committed” to showing the next two editions of the event.