The Open on Sky - It's official

[Snelly]

Since the r and a is responsible for golf in a fair chunk of the globe, is the extra revenue being spent promoting golf in the UK, where this money was generated, or in developing countries like China?

The quotes i have seen relate to "global development of the game." So probably not in the UK or at least not solely.

 

[USER1999]

So to the r and a, selling the coverage to gain more cash, even if it meant the demise of UK golf, would be within their remit, if they promoted more golf in another country?

Makes sense to me?

 

[User62651]

Has there been any mention from R&A if ticket prices will be going down to attend the Open given they've got a better TV deal to pay costs and prize money etc, I doubt it! I last went on Fri of Muirfield 2013 and it cost £85 plus £15 parking for one person, ridiculously expensive IMO and they got poor crowds as a result.

 

[delc]

Bad news that even less live golf is being shown on terrestrial TV. Golf participation in the UK has been declining for several years as more and more tournaments have been annexed by Sky Sports, which is only affordable by a rich minority of the population! Nick Faldo was turned onto golf by watching Jack Nicklaus's exploits in the Masters shown on BBC. How many potential champions are we going to lose in the future as a result of the R&A's tawdry deal with Sky?

 

[Mark_Aged_42]

The problem for me is the nature of highlights.
Usually they are 90% golfers holing out. Putting is not that interesting!

Showing a hole played in its entirety gives us
- the ebb and flow of the competitors positions on the course
- shots from different sides of the fairway
- shots going under/into/across the wind, which is definitely a factor in the Open.
- shots from knee high rough (that's you Mr Woods!!)
- bump and runs from some unlikely places (Mr Woods again!!)

You see how much colour we will be missing by only seeing highlights?

Just showing putting will put more kids off golf than Peter Alliss's commentry

 

[bladeplayer]

In regards money from Sky deals going into grass roots of the sport

How has that worked out in regards - cricket ? Football ? Rugby ? - participation numbers have all dropped over the years , crowds struggling at some sports

Has the money made football better in this country ? That's a debate

The article mentioned an extra £35mil into golf ? does anyone really see that going anywhere near golf clubs ?

It's great of the article to mention how little the price is - it's still a price.

Viewing figures on sky will always be lower - when it comes to the Masters the BBC has higher viewing figures than Sky

Participation numbers in all sports has reduced over the years - Is that to do with Sky - possibly not , more to do with the game console generation. When I was a child I watched a sport on telly and then me and my friends went out and played it - football , cricket , golf etc.

Thankfully we still have the Olympics which inspires people but every 4 years isn't enough.

I'm a massive sports fan but I do worry for the future in this country - this is another step backward imo

:thup:LIKE

As Said The decline is in no way down to sky but it prove the claims of money inputed at the top does not reach grassroots in any significant way

 

[Tongo]

The problem for me is the nature of highlights.
Usually they are 90% golfers holing out. Putting is not that interesting!

Showing a hole played in its entirety gives us
- the ebb and flow of the competitors positions on the course
- shots from different sides of the fairway
- shots going under/into/across the wind, which is definitely a factor in the Open.
- shots from knee high rough (that's you Mr Woods!!)
- bump and runs from some unlikely places (Mr Woods again!!)

You see how much colour we will be missing by only seeing highlights?

Just showing putting will put more kids off golf than Peter Alliss's commentry

I watched some of the Masters coverage on the red button a few years ago and they showed Ian Poulter playing the 14th. No flicking elsewhere, just concentrated on Poulter. It gave a great insight into how a player goes about selecting his shot, his dialogue with his caddie, working out where to land the ball etc. I watched for a good 10 mins and it was fascinating. A side to professional golf that isnt seen normally on tv.

 

[Smiffy]

Has there been any mention from R&A if ticket prices will be going down to attend the Open given they've got a better TV deal to pay costs and prize money etc, I doubt it! I last went on Fri of Muirfield 2013 and it cost £85 plus £15 parking for one person, ridiculously expensive IMO and they got poor crowds as a result.

You could get a£6.99 day pass on NowTV and watch it on sky 😉

 

[Fish]

Bad news that even less live golf is being shown on terrestrial TV. Golf participation in the UK has been declining for several years as more and more tournaments have been annexed by Sky Sports, which is only affordable by a rich minority of the population! Nick Faldo was turned onto golf by watching Jack Nicklaus's exploits in the Masters shown on BBC. How many potential champions are we going to lose in the future as a result of the R&A's tawdry deal with Sky?

None

 

[Smiffy]

None

Like I said. Nick Faldo couldn't go and play on his X-box or PS3.
And he hadn't discovered women then either

 

[Pin-seeker]

If you enjoy watching golf Sky Sports is decent value,lots to watch plus you get football & all the other sports.
I can't see the problem.

 

[SocketRocket]

If you enjoy watching golf Sky Sports is decent value,lots to watch plus you get football & all the other sports.
I can't see the problem.

I dont watch football or cricket. Not going to buy it just for golf.

 

[Pin-seeker]

I dont watch football or cricket. Not going to buy it just for golf.

Looks like you're not going to be watching golf then.

 

[Fish]

Like I said. Nick Faldo couldn't go and play on his X-box or PS3.
And he hadn't discovered women then either

He also obviously had parents who invested in his new found hobby for him, and as he became quickly successful, that investment would have become quite substantial, now if people who watch the golf on the BBC can't afford Sky, how are they going to meet the financial demands of kitting out a youngster with all the gear he needs, lessons, club membership, running him around etc :mmm:

The golf will be on in pubs, social clubs, golf clubs and more, nobody has to miss it if they don't really want to.

I'm on the opposite to many here I think, I say the change will be good, the figures were falling with the Beeb, they weren't improving their coverage, the net result of that then if its not attractive to the viewer could mean even less figures watching, so, I'm all for change, its a dirty word for some but sometimes you just have to accept it and believe in the long term prospects and that it will be for the better, which I think it will be, the flip side was, stick with the BBC and watch it become an obscure minority sport!

Sky will make it work, its in their interest to do so.

 

[Jungle]

That's more like it GM.

A little bit of elitism sneaking through the cracks here.

Whilst it is more palatable to wrap this up under the guise of participation it seems this just comes down to folk not willing to hand over money to a company, or in particular a media mogul who of course is now only a partial part of said company.

There has been countless topics discussed on this forum regarding golf moving with the times but here we are horrified that a great tradition has been broken.

The reality is times have moved on, kids no longer spend whole days watching the tv. Todays audience and kids in particular consume content in a whole new way. They watch goal highlights via twitter as they happen, watch tv on the go with handheld devices, watch content through YouTube, hell Mark Crossfield has just as much potential to get kids into golf than Rory Mcilroy has. The R&A have chosen someone that can open up new avenues and has the vision to keep up with that changing landscape.

So of course there is the cost of Pay TV. As others have pointed out you can in effect subscribe to Sports content without a contract and for less than the cost of a box of warbirds. So certainly not a product thats exclusive to the super rich, but none the less a choice of course.

It's been interesting to see the pages of passionate debate but as for this move having a detrimental impact on golfs already declining participation I think it stands way down the list behind some more serious questions.

 

[Odvan]

That's more like it GM.

A little bit of elitism sneaking through the cracks here.

Whilst it is more palatable to wrap this up under the guise of participation it seems this just comes down to folk not willing to hand over money to a company, or in particular a media mogul who of course is now only a partial part of said company.

There has been countless topics discussed on this forum regarding golf moving with the times but here we are horrified that a great tradition has been broken.

The reality is times have moved on, kids no longer spend whole days watching the tv. Todays audience and kids in particular consume content in a whole new way. They watch goal highlights via twitter as they happen, watch tv on the go with handheld devices, watch content through YouTube, hell Mark Crossfield has just as much potential to get kids into golf than Rory Mcilroy has. The R&A have chosen someone that can open up new avenues and has the vision to keep up with that changing landscape.

So of course there is the cost of Pay TV. As others have pointed out you can in effect subscribe to Sports content without a contract and for less than the cost of a box of warbirds. So certainly not a product thats exclusive to the super rich, but none the less a choice of course.

It's been interesting to see the pages of passionate debate but as for this move having a detrimental impact on golfs already declining participation I think it stands way down the list behind some more serious questions.

Great post.

 

[Fish]

That's more like it GM.

A little bit of elitism sneaking through the cracks here.

Whilst it is more palatable to wrap this up under the guise of participation it seems this just comes down to folk not willing to hand over money to a company, or in particular a media mogul who of course is now only a partial part of said company.

There has been countless topics discussed on this forum regarding golf moving with the times but here we are horrified that a great tradition has been broken.

The reality is times have moved on, kids no longer spend whole days watching the tv. Todays audience and kids in particular consume content in a whole new way. They watch goal highlights via twitter as they happen, watch tv on the go with handheld devices, watch content through YouTube, hell Mark Crossfield has just as much potential to get kids into golf than Rory Mcilroy has. The R&A have chosen someone that can open up new avenues and has the vision to keep up with that changing landscape.

So of course there is the cost of Pay TV. As others have pointed out you can in effect subscribe to Sports content without a contract and for less than the cost of a box of warbirds. So certainly not a product thats exclusive to the super rich, but none the less a choice of course.

It's been interesting to see the pages of passionate debate but as for this move having a detrimental impact on golfs already declining participation I think it stands way down the list behind some more serious questions.

:thup:

 

[Tongo]

If you enjoy watching golf Sky Sports is decent value,lots to watch plus you get football & all the other sports.
I can't see the problem.

Having to pay to watch the Open live maybe?

 

[Tongo]

He also obviously had parents who invested in his new found hobby for him, and as he became quickly successful, that investment would have become quite substantial, now if people who watch the golf on the BBC can't afford Sky, how are they going to meet the financial demands of kitting out a youngster with all the gear he needs, lessons, club membership, running him around etc :mmm:

The golf will be on in pubs, social clubs, golf clubs and more, nobody has to miss it if they don't really want to.

I'm on the opposite to many here I think, I say the change will be good, the figures were falling with the Beeb, they weren't improving their coverage, the net result of that then if its not attractive to the viewer could mean even less figures watching, so, I'm all for change, its a dirty word for some but sometimes you just have to accept it and believe in the long term prospects and that it will be for the better, which I think it will be, the flip side was, stick with the BBC and watch it become an obscure minority sport!

Sky will make it work, its in their interest to do so.

Yeah, cos there's nothing like getting to Saturday / Sunday afternoon of Open week, sitting down to watch the golf in the comfort of your own home and then realising you have to bimble down to the nearest boozer instead only to discover that rather than televise the golf they are showing some pointless, money making match between Man Utd and Real Madrid from some far flung corner of the globe.

And i'm sure we could then bimble down to the nearest golf club afterward but it isnt quite the same as sitting at home is it?

 

[Fish]

Yeah, cos there's nothing like getting to Saturday / Sunday afternoon of Open week, sitting down to watch the golf in the comfort of your own home and then realising you have to bimble down to the nearest boozer instead only to discover that rather than televise the golf they are showing some pointless, money making match between Man Utd and Real Madrid from some far flung corner of the globe.

And i'm sure we could then bimble down to the nearest golf club afterward but it isnt quite the same as sitting at home is it?

Well like everything you can't please everyone and as such whilst there may be some casualties, something has to change in an attempt to get the game of golf out there more because by leaving it where it is it will surely die of a slow death with the BBC because they wouldn't improve their coverage or invest in it any more than they were, so for me, the change is a positive one and I'm confident that after a few years of watching it more on Sky, many will wonder what all the fuss was about.