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Rory McIlroy with the Claret Jug after winning the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Owen Humphreys

After 60 years of showing The Open, BBC has lost its TV rights to Sky

The oldest of golf’s four majors won’t be broadcast live on free-to-air television from 2017.

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.”

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36 Comments
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    Mute Cormac
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 1:49 PM

    It’s a shame. People will have to get Sky to watch any sport soon.

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    Mute The Doctor
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:58 PM

    I watch more sport now without sky than I ever did with it. Everything is on the Internet.

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    Mute danielplainview
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:33 PM

    Yeh , illegally. You’re a sc!mbucket.

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    Mute danielplainview
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:53 PM

    Just get sky sports you pleb. Whiff of poor people on the journal today.

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    Mute Fergal
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 6:37 PM

    It’s not illegal you dick of a pleb.

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    Mute Anto Mahon
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 7:52 PM

    I watch sky sports for free and its legal.

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    Mute Tattery McTittery
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    Feb 4th 2015, 12:22 AM

    Jaysus you are a grade A loser

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    Mute Sean Lawlor
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:05 PM

    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!

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    Mute Kieran Canavan
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 1:40 PM

    No more ken brown shocking news

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:24 PM

    Or Peter Ailis..

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    Mute Aging Lothario
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 2:08 PM

    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.

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    Mute Pilib O Muiregan
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:33 PM

    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

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    Mute Andrew Hickey
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:38 PM

    Won by a Brit last year……..

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    Mute Aging Lothario
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:03 PM

    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.

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    Mute Luke D
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 2:04 PM

    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.

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    Mute Pilib O Muiregan
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:32 PM

    Ace stream. High quality streams

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    Mute Proinsias Ó Foghlú
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:34 PM

    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.

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    Mute Exit Stage Left
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:28 PM

    They’ve done a great job with the Ryder cup. Sky do sport brilliantly.

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    Mute Luke O'Connell
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 8:49 PM

    The Ryder cup is the most over-rated tournament in golf…Golfers aren’t remembered by winning Ryder cups

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    Mute barry casey
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:05 PM

    It’s a sad day for sports fans

    84
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    Mute Martin O' Neill
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 4:12 PM

    Shame. Pay per view is destroying sport!

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Feb 4th 2015, 6:13 AM

    Sky Sports isn’t Pay-Per-View. It’s a normal subscription channel.

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    Mute Paul Tuohy
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:33 PM

    So more Colin Montgomerie…ah for feck sake

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    Mute Paul Cullen
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 7:11 PM

    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.

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    Mute Emer Caffrey
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 5:28 PM

    Greed, sad

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    Mute Exit Stage Left
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 1:41 PM

    Believe in better….

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    Mute Cathal McDonald
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:06 PM

    Believe in ads

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    Mute Bull Mick
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:51 PM

    Believe in online gambling ads.

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    Mute Will Derbylight
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:58 PM

    All Ireland finals going to Sky next?

    With the Captain’s Prize at Attymon Golf Club….

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    Mute Colin Breen
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 3:42 PM

    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.

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    Mute Dead Ball Browne
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 10:18 PM

    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.

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    Mute John Dixon
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 6:30 PM

    Splendid stuff

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    Mute Jimmy Murphy
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 10:34 PM

    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

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    Mute Fergal
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    Feb 4th 2015, 2:45 PM

    So long as I don’t have to hear or watch Hazel Irvine again is good enough for me. She’s so anti Irish.

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    Mute Paul Sweeney
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    Feb 3rd 2015, 10:11 PM

    Tremendous news. Won’t have to sit through the insufferable boredom of it with the out laws. A good walk ruined..

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Feb 4th 2015, 6:11 AM

    Interesting to see Sky Sports expanding to cover pastimes for those who don’t like sport. Very inclusive.

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