Sweep
Journeyman Pro
The BBC pulled out of the Open a year earlier than they had to which says a lot.
Us pga black out
- Thread starter anotherdouble
- Start date
Sweep
Journeyman Pro
Right now it makes sense for the PGA to sell the Championship to either the highest bidder or the widest audience. As the least important of the 4 majors they would be playing with fire to go solely on streaming sites at present.
I can see them wanting to grow the game and reach the biggest audience but on the other hand you can't question Sky's commitment to golf, especially with its new Sky Golf channel.
As a golf event, you could argue that the PGA Championship isn't in the top half dozen most important or exciting tournaments, especially if it's a Ryder Cup year.
I can see them wanting to grow the game and reach the biggest audience but on the other hand you can't question Sky's commitment to golf, especially with its new Sky Golf channel.
As a golf event, you could argue that the PGA Championship isn't in the top half dozen most important or exciting tournaments, especially if it's a Ryder Cup year.
Crow
Crow Person
But in one swoop it's become the most important, purely by being on free to view. Power to their elbows!
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Sky already had a channel that just showed Golf - it was called Sky Sports 4 , all they have done now is call it something different, put new graphics on and call it dedicated - they did stop the vt saying with all the major golf comps on one channel though. "Commitment" to golf - how about they show real commitment and allow the Open on Sunday for example to be free to non subscribers? It would certainly help the poor viewing figures which are going to get worse now that people don't have to buy the full sports package and can do without the "dedicated" golf channel ( without one major and possibly a second )
As for the US PGA - whilst it doesn't have the history or prestige of the other three it does though have the strongest field in all the majors and has produced some cracking finishes just like they all have - to suggest it isn't in the top 6 most important comps is laughable - would suggest that the players would think you're talking out of your rear. But I reckon it just bitterness because Sky are loosing it to what looks like the BBC and it will become the most watched major/golf comp now
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
I think you should take a step back from your anti-Sky views and try to look a bit more dispassionately rather than finding fault with everything. The dedicated golf channel is an interesting idea but will depend on what sort of content they have (SS4 showed a lot of golf but was by no means exclusive) far too early for anyone to know if it'll be a success or not.
You really can't dismiss their commitment to golf - they show 1000s of hours more live golf every year than any other broadcaster in this country ever did - Majors, Ryder/Solheim cups, PGA Tour, ET Tour, LPGA, LET, EuroPro, hell even the Trilby Tour (yes the dedicated sport channel allows them to do that when the BBC obviously couldn't but it's still hugely significant). They were instrumental in re-establishing the British Masters, it simply wouldn't happen without their sponsorship and they provide 1000s of free tickets and make it into a real event with the level of coverage.
They are obviously paying a lot of money to cover the Open so of course they're not going to make the final day free. But, from what I read on here, anyone with a Now TV box could get yesterday's coverage for free.
The actual coverage seems a more subjective matter and I understand that some people don't like change but I think they've really modernised it, brought some good innovations in and, with the exception of the adverts obviously, I think it is head and shoulders better than the tired coverage the BBC were churning out year after year. As far as presenters and commentary team goes it's all about opinions but, in reality, it's all much of a muchness - some better than others on both channels.
Beyond the golf coverage, I really like the BBC so If they are getting the PGA I hope they are taking a long look at how they cover golf and try to improve it. However, I suspect they will show less golf with poorer coverage than we'd get with Sky. Time will tell.
TheJezster
Tour Rookie
Superb response. Conveys all my views too, can't really add anything else... 😂
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Deleted member 15344
Guest
Will they show any more actual live golf on this channel ? The content will be no different - just repeated , i expect there will be no difference from what it was as SS4 , when they got the Open they even stated then that SS4 would be the dedicated Golf Channel. And its a bit of kick really when they lose one of the majors.
I also believe spliting the sports into seperate channels will have an even further negative affect when it comes to viewing figures - Skys big flag ship is the football - how many will bin off the other channels and just go to football ? suspect quite a few
As you say they are able to show as much as they want because they have that many channels - no other broadcaster can do that because they have to cater for everyone - if the BBC or indeed any other broadcaster could show non stop golf or indeed any other sport then im sure they would. And that commitment comes at a cost to the viewer - and Sky will be doing it for profit.
Ultimately though it all comes at a cost - people have to subscribe to sky or use their Now TV boxes and pay to watch it - for me no matter what happens in regards any gimmicks etc that will always be the biggest negative they will trump it all - you have to pay to watch golf. Whilst the coverage will always be subjective and about personal opinions at least with the BBC it was free to air with the telly license - yes it may not be 24 hours a day but then they cant but it was free and it was available to all and the level of viewing figures showed that. Golf on Sky whilst it maybe shining for people who like that wont imo help grow the game.
Right now if someone wants to watch live golf on telly they have to pay for it - that for me is a bad thing for our sport so for me the PGA going to BBC is great for Golf - it will allow millions who dont have sky to ability to watch one of the biggest comps in the game and i for one hope the other majors follow suit over the coming years and realise that Sky isnt the golden pot after all due to the lack of viewers.
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FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Ach I tried, but your mind is closed.
Reemul
Head Pro
The days of getting unlimited coverage for free of specific sports or the major events within that sport are long gone.
What amazes me is you get people complaining about spending £40 a month for sky sports but think nothing of spending the same on a mobile phone each month or paying £2.50 a day for a coffee.
It's like paying for coverage is a dirty word and everything should be free but don't mind me while I pee my money up the wall for other things. A guy I work with just spent £800 on a phone that was 1 upgrade from the last but was saying he won't pay for sky/virgin yet that would have paid for 2 years of subscription.
I understand some people want all major sport events on free to air tv for £12 a month as well as everything else they have to show but it ain't happening.
What amazes me is you get people complaining about spending £40 a month for sky sports but think nothing of spending the same on a mobile phone each month or paying £2.50 a day for a coffee.
It's like paying for coverage is a dirty word and everything should be free but don't mind me while I pee my money up the wall for other things. A guy I work with just spent £800 on a phone that was 1 upgrade from the last but was saying he won't pay for sky/virgin yet that would have paid for 2 years of subscription.
I understand some people want all major sport events on free to air tv for £12 a month as well as everything else they have to show but it ain't happening.
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Deleted member 15344
Guest
Sorry but why can't sports be on free to air television ? They survived pretty well before Sky arrived - in fact I would say sport was healthy all round before Sky arrived and it wasn't money driven
smange
Journeyman Pro
The BBC have shown live golf for decades up until last year when they chose to drop the Open a year early, yet you want to blame Sky for the fall in numbers of people taking up the game? You keep quoting us all these viewing figures of how few can watch on Sky compared to the many more millions who watch on the BBC, that's only been the case for a year yet the numbers of people taking up the game in the last 20 years has dropped dramatically and most of that during a time when most of the big events were exclusive to the BBC so maybe just maybe the good old Beeb should shoulder some of the blame then going by your rationale but hey ho don't let the facts get in the way of your arguement, again 🙄
It's always going to be personal choice over what channels presentation you prefer but to try to lay a big part of the blame in numbers of people taking up the game at Sky's feet is ridiculous when they have only had one year of having exclusive coverage.
It's always going to be personal choice over what channels presentation you prefer but to try to lay a big part of the blame in numbers of people taking up the game at Sky's feet is ridiculous when they have only had one year of having exclusive coverage.
Pin-seeker
Well-known member
Do you honestly believe that many none golfers will watch the Open regardless of if it's free to view.
And they will then take up the game?
Phil you are deluded & your loving for everything BBC & anti Sky views got very tiresome along time ago.
Do you really need to keep making the same points over & over again??
Beezerk
Money List Winner
Pmsl, reply of the year.
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Deleted member 16999
Guest
And he's stated on here he's a SKY Subscriber
The world has moved on, the broadcasting and sports business models have moved on. That horse has bolted and like many parts of life you can't just roll the clock back.
Junior
Tour Winner
Because the sporting governing bodies (FA, ECB, R&A, F1) choose so. Essentially, Sky and the BBC are only buying what is up for sale. If you had a company and had a product like the open, or EPL, and could give viewing rights away for next to nothing, or, could make millions by selling it to the highest bidder what would you do ?
Garush34
Journeyman Pro
Is it not the case that before sky came along there were less channels to choose from. So people watched bevause it was the best of the bad choices at the time, not just because it was free.
TheJezster
Tour Rookie
Times change, things evolve and people have more choices. There isn't an argument that sky haven't improved things. I say things change, i obviously didn't mean your mind. I think FD summed that one up perfectly..
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Deleted member 15344
Guest
Oh I agree it's down to the governing bodies - they see the money and they would be daft to turn it down. It's a business all round now - the money the better for some. Sky for me have take football to being a money driven sport to imo the detriment of the sport. Football now is all about the money - is that a good thing ? Not for me and I expect less now care about the sport because of the money. F1 is the same , Cricket going there , Golf going there.
In one way we can now watch more sport than ever before - as a sports fan that is superb but for me i don't think it's good for any sport - someone somewhere is getting richer from the move to subscription sport and that's coming from the pocket of the viewer - in a business sense that's perfectly acceptable , people pay for a product and they get it but for me i don't think that should be in sport. Sport and it's viewing should be accessible to as many people as is physical possible - and the governing bodies should look first and foremost towards the accessibility for everyone to that sport both playing and viewing and also the government should look at it as well - they have the power to protect the viewing of sports.
The drop is participation in sports is down to the advent of game consoles and in some sports the lack of facilities available and also the lack of exposure to sports - I remember growing up watching all manner of sports with my dad on Grandstand , or World of Sport and they grabbing my attention - when Wimbledon came we went out and played tennis , when the Open came we played golf , same with football etc - maybe it was because we had less choice of what we would watch and now we have so much choice but at a price to us.
Whilst subscription Telly has given more choice it has also narrowed down the captive market - so is it a good thing for sport there is more choice to watch - yep but is it balanced out by having so little people be exposed to it. Thankfully certain sports still reach all corners because of their protective status - maybe more should be again ?
anotherdouble
Journeyman Pro
Let's hope they show the premier league free. Think of the viewing figures that would bring in but some how I don't think they will
