SKY SPORTS WILL show The Open Championship exclusively live for the first time after agreeing a five-year deal with The R&A.
The subscription channel will reportedly pay over €19m-a-year as part of the deal which will see them air all four days of the major from 2017.
BBC, who have owned the broadcast rights for the past 60 years, will now offer a two-hour daily highlights package and live radio coverage. The news comes a week after they agreed to pay €270m to retain Premier League show Match of the Day for three more.
“The Open is the world’s preeminent golf championship and we are committed to taking coverage of the event to new levels,” said Barney Francis, Sky Sports Managing Director.
“We offer something for every sports fan and this exciting agreement for The Open means our customers can now enjoy all four Majors live.
“Sky Sports has a passion for golf that has spanned two decades, offering unrivalled commitment, airtime and promotion as well as year-round innovative coverage.
We look forward to working with The R&A to entertain and engage new and existing golf fans through our multi-platform coverage and also at the grassroots level via Sky Academy.”
Barbara Slater, Director of Sport at the BBC, added:“We’re obviously disappointed that we were unable to retain live TV coverage of The Open Championship.
“However, we’re delighted to be continuing our 60 year partnership with The R&A and feel that a comprehensive two hour highlights programme – a format which has already proven successful – in a prime-time slot over four days will allow us to continue to bring all the best action and key moments from The Open to a large free-to-air audience on TV, radio and online.”
It’s a shame. People will have to get Sky to watch any sport soon.
I watch more sport now without sky than I ever did with it. Everything is on the Internet.
Yeh , illegally. You’re a sc!mbucket.
Just get sky sports you pleb. Whiff of poor people on the journal today.
It’s not illegal you dick of a pleb.
I watch sky sports for free and its legal.
Jaysus you are a grade A loser
No more 12 hours uninterrupted coverage of live golf so, will do well to get 12 minutes live. Then listen to Monty rabbit on about his near misses and how the Ryder cup is better than any major!
No more ken brown shocking news
Or Peter Ailis..
This is disgraceful, do they not have events in the UK that have to be shown on free to air television like we do here? God what will I do without my annual fix of Peter Allis, although one good thing is that it looks like I’ll have to go to the pub on the Sunday now to watch the final round of the Open.
Its an EU law as far as I know. I doubt the Open which is rarely won by a Brit would qualify as been in the national interest
Won by a Brit last year……..
At the end of the day it’s a British tournament much like Wimbledon, so you would think that events such as the FA Cup, Cheltenham, Wimbledon and the Open should be on free to air. I think we have ten on our list, although apart from the All Ireland finals, I can’t think of what else is on this list. Oh and finally not that it makes any difference, but technically the Open was won by a Brit in 2011 and 2014, in the guise of Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.
Considering you can just watch it on a streaming site(albeit with poorer quality) sky could be on their way to a major crash once the internet becomes more integrated into tv’s.
Ace stream. High quality streams
It’s a sad day for golf, the British Open is without doubt the best golf tournament in the world and it’s a shame that Sky have gotten their filthy hands on it.
They’ve done a great job with the Ryder cup. Sky do sport brilliantly.
The Ryder cup is the most over-rated tournament in golf…Golfers aren’t remembered by winning Ryder cups
It’s a sad day for sports fans
Shame. Pay per view is destroying sport!
Sky Sports isn’t Pay-Per-View. It’s a normal subscription channel.
So more Colin Montgomerie…ah for feck sake
R&A really need the money! Not only is it the most expensive tournament to go and watch now we have to pay to watch on tv shame on you Dawson and your R&A free loaders.
Greed, sad
Believe in better….
Believe in ads
Believe in online gambling ads.
All Ireland finals going to Sky next?
With the Captain’s Prize at Attymon Golf Club….
The adds are short. Sky coverage is far superior. And they wont be relying on cbs or golf channel so i expect it to be excellent. Delighted.
Jees. We’ll have to listen and watch those nobody panels telling us and showing us on the simulator how all the great golfers are swinging it wrong. I dont think anyone of them ever won anything. And the fella with the brown tie and blue shirt..!!
Here’s hoping Paul Mc Ginly will be commentating. Please keep grumpy Montgomery away as well. We want to watch golf.
Splendid stuff
All sports will be that way soon, unfortunately.
They know you don’t want to pay it so they’ll make it so you have to, one way or the other.
Capitalism as consistent as ever
So long as I don’t have to hear or watch Hazel Irvine again is good enough for me. She’s so anti Irish.
Tremendous news. Won’t have to sit through the insufferable boredom of it with the out laws. A good walk ruined..
Interesting to see Sky Sports expanding to cover pastimes for those who don’t like sport. Very inclusive.