Discovery, PGA TOUR Unveil GOLFTV To Unite Global Golf Fan Community
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2018-10-23
NEW YORK, New York — Discovery and the PGA TOUR have revealed GOLFTV, powered by the PGA TOUR, the distinctive brand for the destination that will unite the community of golf fans around the world. The brand will underpin the new live and on-demand international video streaming service, which will launch globally outside the United States* on January 1, 2019.
GOLFTV will offer fans a one-stop destination to access the widest range of golf content. With a growing portfolio of content, it will feature many of the sport’s most exciting moments, superstar players and tournaments on every screen and device.
Serving golf fans with an enhanced experience to both entertain and inform, GOLFTV will present more than 2,000 hours of live action each year as well as extensive premium content on-demand. Live coverage* will include the six Tours operating under the PGA TOUR umbrella and nearly 150 tournaments annually - including THE PLAYERS Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup.
Alex Kaplan, President and General Manager, Discovery Golf, said: “Our long-term goal is to create a must-have experience that truly enhances the way global fans watch, play and engage with the game every day. Unveiling the new GOLFTV brand is an exciting next step in our journey.
“Building on Discovery’s heritage of real-life storytelling and direct-to-consumer platform experience, we’ve already established a world-class GOLFTV team. With work well underway, our carefully considered plans will allow us to continually enhance GOLFTV as we roll-out and further develop the product.”
The launch of the GOLFTV brand follows the pioneering strategic alliance between Discovery and the PGA TOUR, announced in June. In addition to the GOLFTV service, the 12-year alliance will manage the PGA TOUR’s international multi-platform rights including linear TV rights.
Discovery is already working to execute on a robust distribution and broadcast partner strategy for the portfolio, optimizing reach across free-to-air, pay-TV and digital, and will explore partnering with existing PGA TOUR and golf broadcasters to continue to grow the game. Live PGA TOUR coverage will become available via GOLFTV in line with the market-by-market rights activation date (see below).
GOLFTV Video Streaming Service
GOLFTV will supersede PGA TOUR LIVE across global markets (outside the United States). Users in all markets can subscribe to a wide range of golf content and programming on GOLFTV, with the addition of live PGA TOUR coverage by-market as the rights are activated. In 2019, live coverage will be included on GOLFTV inAustralia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia and Spain.*
Current international PGA TOUR LIVE users will be provided with a simple transition to GOLFTV ahead of launch on January 1, 2019.
Further information regarding GOLFTV, programming and content will be announced in due course.
*Excluding the United States. Live PGA TOUR coverage will be included market-by-market by rights activation date. Rights in all markets (excluding the United States) to be managed by Discovery through the strategic alliance with PGA TOUR by 2024. The rights starting dates by territory are shown below:
|
Date |
Markets |
|
2019 |
Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain |
|
2020 |
Poland, South Korea |
|
2021 |
Belgium, China, Germany, South Africa |
|
2022 |
Denmark, Finland, India, Norway, Sweden, UK |
|
2024 |
France |
About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; and digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 27 countries (88 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2017, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $180 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.65 billion.
The PGA TOUR's website is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
About GOLFTV
GOLFTV is the first destination that unites the community of golf fans around the world. At the heart of GOLFTV is a live and on-demand video streaming service, showing every moment of the PGA TOUR, featuring the world’s greatest players, to a global audience every week. Established with innovation at its core, GOLFTV brings new drive, creativity and immersive technology to the world of golf. It aspires to offer fans a new way to consume, watch, play and engage with the game every day. GOLFTV is part of Discovery, a global leader in real-life entertainment with an extensive portfolio of direct-to-consumer platforms. Follow @GOLFTV on Twitter for the latest updates.