Golf on NBC
Golf on NBC | |
---|---|
Also known as | PGA Tour on NBC (1954–2011) Golf on NBC (2011–present) Golf Channel on NBC (2011–2022) |
Genre | List of NBC Sports golf commentators |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 61 |
Production | |
Production location | Various tournament sites |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 180+ minutes and until tournament ends |
Production company | NBC Sports |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | 1954 present | –
Related | |
PGA Tour on CBS |
Golf telecasts have aired on NBC since 1954, with some of its earliest telecasts having included the 1954 U.S. Open, and the first televised coverage of the Ryder Cup in 1959.
Presently, NBC televises around 8
After NBC's parent company NBC Universal was acquired by Comcast–owner of Golf Channel –in February 2011, the channel's operations were merged directly into NBC Sports, and golf broadcasts on NBC took on the Golf Channel on NBC branding.
Since 2022, due to the realignments of NBC Sports output stemming from the launch of Peacock, closure of NBCSN, the move of cable rights to majors to USA Network, and NBC's renewed PGA Tour contract, the Golf Channel on NBC title was dropped, and all golf telecasts across NBCUniversal properties (including Golf Channel) are now billed as NBC Sports telecasts on-air.
Coverage overview
Early years
NBC first began televising golf events after it was awarded the television rights to the U.S. Open in 1954 with Lindsey Nelson anchoring the coverage from the 18th hole tower. In 1959, NBC provided the first ever telecast (airing two hours of highlights) of the Ryder Cup. The 1962 U.S. Open, marked the first time that NBC covered golf on a Sunday. The U.S. Open continued to air on the network through the 1965 event, however NBC rebuffed a long-term deal to broadcast the event when the United States Golf Association (USGA) decided on a true contract in 1966.
The network, however, did televise a handful of PGA Tour events over the following decades. For example, NBC's broadcast of the 1962 Tournament of Champions as the first color golf telecast. Five years later, NBC broadcast the Hawaiian Open Golf Tournament, which was the first live color sports transmission from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland.
In 1983, NBC televised the first Skins Game ever held, with Vin Scully and Ben Crenshaw serving as announcers for the tournament broadcast. From 1983 to 1989, Scully[1] juggled duties for both golf and Major League Baseball telecasts for NBC, usually teaming with Lee Trevino. The only notable affiliate not to televise the first event was KYW-TV (now a CBS owned-and-operated station) in Philadelphia.
1990s: Ryder Cup and U.S. Open
In 1991, coverage of the Skins Game moved to ABC Sports, after NBC obtained the rights to broadcast Notre Dame college football games.
After Vin Scully left NBC Sports following the network's loss of the Major League Baseball package to
The
and sponsored by NBC, which broadcasts the second- and third-round coverage. The game NBC Sports Real Golf was unveiled at the 17th annual American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Event and promoted during NBC's broadcast of the event. NBC generally televised around five regular PGA Tour events per season at this time.In 1991, the network acquired the broadcast rights to the Ryder Cup.[3][4]
In 1995, NBC Sports acquired rights to the USGA championships, including the U.S. Open,[5] from ESPN/ABC. ESPN retained rights to a portion of the weekday coverage, however NBC was the dominant rightsholder, including exclusive coverage of the weekend rounds. This took NBC's coverage to a new level, and marked the first time in the modern era of television that the network had televised a major championship. NBC, and its lead analyst Johnny Miller (who joined NBC in 1990), became synonymous with the U.S. Open, televising it for the next 20 years, through 2014.[6]
2000s: Expansion of PGA Tour rights
In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2012, increase the number of events covered by NBC Sports from five to ten. The deal also renewed broadcast deals for the Ryder Cup and the
NBC carried the weekend coverage of the
In 2007,
2010s: Golf Channel re-branding, loss of U.S. Open, gain of Open Championship
In January 2011,
While most golf broadcasts on NBC used Golf Channel's on-air branding as graphics packages as a result of the changes, the Players Championship, Ryder Cup and USGA tournaments maintain the distinctive theme music that NBC used prior to the rebranding (such as the theme from The Man from Snowy River for the Players, and Yanni's "In Celebration of Man" for the U.S. Open, which, with a rearrangement, was also temporarily used for the Open Championship).[9][10]
In both 2013 and 2014, NBC broadcast weekend coverage of the
In August 2013, the USGA signed a broadcasting contract with
On June 8, 2015, it was announced that NBC and Golf Channel had acquired rights to The Open Championship under a 12-year deal, replacing ESPN. The R&A was, reportedly, won over by NBC's rights fee (which is approximately doubled in comparison to ESPN), and the performance of NBC's broadcasts of the Premier League, which air in a similar weekend morning time slot in the U.S.. The deal restored a men's major back to NBC for the first time since 2014, gave Golf Channel coverage of its first-ever major, and returned the Open to broadcast network television.[12] Originally stated to begin in 2017, it was reported on October 12, 2015, that ESPN had opted out the final year of its contract to NBC, thus causing NBC coverage to begin in 2016 instead, mirroring a similar move by the BBC (who opted out to new rightsholder Sky Sports).[13][14]
In January 2016, former CBS analyst
NBC and Golf Channel broadcast the revived golf tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympics, as part of NBC's coverage of the Games. NBC staff served as the host broadcaster for the golf events on behalf of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).[18]
2020s: PGA Tour renewal, regaining the U.S. Open
In 2020, NBC renewed its rights to the PGA Tour through 2030 under an eight-year deal beginning in 2022. While NBC will still air an average of 8 tournaments per-year, coverage of the final three FedEx Cup playoff events will now alternate between CBS and NBC.[19][20]
On June 29, 2020, it was announced that Fox had withdrawn from its contract to carry USGA tournaments, and had sold the remaining seven years of the contract to NBC Sports
In November 2021, it was announced that early round coverage of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, The Open Championship, and the Women's Open, will be moved from Golf Channel to USA Network beginning in 2022.[26]
Tournaments
Current
- PGA Tour, annual coverage
- Sentry Tournament of Champions(2013–present; except 2018)
- The Honda Classic(1982–present)
- Arnold Palmer Invitational (1974–present)
- The Players Championship (1988–2019, 2021–present)
- WGC-Dell Match Play(2007–2019, 2021–present)
- Valero Texas Open (2013-2015, 2019, 2021–present)
- The Open Championship (2016–2019, 2021–present)
- Valspar Championship (2007–2019, 2022–present)
- Tournaments alternated with CBS
- NBC Tournaments airing on CBS because of Winter Olympics
- Honda Classic (2018)
- )
- CBS Tournaments airing on NBC because of Super Bowl
- Phoenix Open: 2007, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021
- Los Angeles Open: 2010
- FedEx Cup playoff tournaments (in even-numbered years)
- St. Jude Championship (2022–present)
- BMW Championship (2007–present, even-numbered years starting in 2022)
- The Tour Championship(2007–present, even-numbered years starting in 2022)
- USGA
- U.S. Open (1954–1965, 1995–2014, 2020–present)
- U.S. Senior Open (1995–2014, 2021–present)
- U.S. Women's Open (1995–2014, 2020–present)
- U.S. Amateur(1995–2014, 2020–present)
- LPGA Tour
- Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions(2019–present)
- CME Group Tour Championship (2019–present)
- Majors and special events
- Ryder Cup (1991–present)
- Presidents Cup (2000–present)
- Senior PGA Championship (1990–present)
- Hero World Challenge (2007–present)
- PNC Father/Son Challenge(1995-2008, 2012–present)
- American Century Championship (1990–present)
- KPMG Women's PGA Championship(2015–present)
- The Evian Championship (2013–present)
- Women's British Open (2016–present)
- Senior Open Championship (2016–present)
- The Solheim Cup(1994-2002, 2017–present)
- Augusta National Women's Amateur (2019–present)
- QBE Shootout (2007–2013, 2017–present)
- The Chevron Championship(1978-1990, 2023-present)
Former
- Bob Hope Chrysler Classic(1960s–1998)
- Farmers Insurance Open (until 1998)
- Northern Trust Open (2010, CBS Super Bowl year)
- BellSouth Classic(1999–2006)
- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (1975–1998, 2007–2008)
- WGC-Cadillac Championship/Doral Open(1999-2016)
- Houston Open (2007–2018)
- The Tradition (2007–2010)
- Travelers Championship (1982–1983
- Senior Players Championship (2007–2009)
- Sony Open in Hawaii (2015)
- UL International Crown (2016)
- WGC-Mexico Championship(2017–2021)
- European Tour
- Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open(2013–2021)
Commentators
The following is a list of television personalities for NBC Sports Group's telecasts of golf, which are carried by NBC and Golf Channel.[27]
Current announcers
PGA Tour (NBC)
- Play By Play: Dan Hicks / Mike Tirico / Steve Sands
- Analysts: TBD / Brad Faxon / Curt Byrum
- On Course Reporters: John Wood / Notah Begay / Smylie Kaufman
- Interviews: Cara Banks / Damon Hack
PGA Tour (Golf Channel)
- Play By Play: Terry Gannon / Steve Sands / George Savaricas
- Analysts: Frank Nobilo / Curt Byrum / Johnson Wagner
- On Course Reporters: Arron Oberholser / Smylie Kaufman / Billy Ray Brown / Colt Knost / John Cook / Tripp Isenhour
LPGA Tour (Golf Channel / NBC)
- Play By Play: Grant Boone / Tom Abbott
- Analysts: Morgan Pressel / Paige Mackenzie
- On Course Reporters: Karen Stupples / Kay Cockerill
PGA Tour Champions (Golf Channel)
- Play By Play: Bob Papa / John Swantek
- Analysts: Lanny Wadkins / Peter Jacobsen
- On Course Reporters: John Cook / Phil Blackmar
Korn Ferry Tour (Golf Channel)
- Play By Play: Shane Bacon
- Analysts: James Nitties
- On Course Reporters: Andres Gonzales
Previous announcers
Hosts
- Don Criqui
- 1999)
- Bill Flemming – While at NBC, Flemming called the U.S. Open golf tournament in 1957.
- 1990)
- Charlie Jones (1991-1992)
- Jim Lampley (1993-1994)
- Bill Mazer
- Jay Randolph
- The Mastersuntil 1982.
- Jim Simpson
Analysts
- John Brodie (1981–1998)
- Bruce Devlin (1977–1982)
- Gary Hallberg
- Brad Faxon (2010)
- Dave Marr (1995–1997)
- Johnny Miller (1990–2019)
- Bob Murphy (2000–2009)
- Debbie Steinbach
- Bob Toski
- Lee Trevino (1983–1989)
- Bob Trumpy (1990–1996)
Reporters
- Mark McCumber (1991–1994)
- Dan Pohl (1995–1997)
- John Schroeder (1991–1999)
- Ed Sneed (2000–2004)
- Dottie Pepper (2005–2012)
Interviewers
- Bob Costas (U.S. Open, 2003–2013)
- Dan Patrick (The Players Championship, 2009–2012)
- Josh Elliott (The Players Championship, 2014–2015)
See also
References
- YouTube
- YouTube
- ^ Ed Sherman (September 27, 2012). "How the Ryder Cup went from nothing to coveted TV property for NBC". Sherman Report. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "Chronology of Ryder Cup coverage on American television". Classic Sports TV and Media. September 25, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ "NBC broadcasts U.S. Open Golf again after 30 years". NBC Sports History Page.
- YouTube
- ^ "History of US Open golf TV coverage (1954-present)". Classic Sports TV and Media. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Mike Reynolds. "McCarley To Head Golf Channel, Davis Out At Versus In NBC Sports Group Reorg: Sources". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ "Yanni's "In Celebration of Man" is back -- and it's as glorious as ever". Golf Digest. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Open TV schedule, channel, coverage, live stream, watch online, golf streaming times". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ "Timing of USGA-Fox announcement rankles many". GolfChannel.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ "NBC, Golf Channel ending ABC/ESPN British Open reign". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "NBC getting British Open a year early". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ "NBC Sports Group Seals 2016 Rights for British Open Championships". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ Guthrie, Marisa (15 September 2015). "Golf Analyst David Feherty Leaves CBS for NBC Sports". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (15 September 2015). "David Feherty Moves From CBS to NBC and Golf Channel". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "NBC names Mike Tirico host of 2016 British Open coverage". Golf Digest. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Olympic Broadcasting: Inside the Chief Executive's Office". TV Technology. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ "SBJ Media: PGA Tour, Mountain West Get New Rights Deals". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ^ "CBS, NBC re-up with the PGA Tour in a 9-year, $6.3 billion deal". adage.com. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- ^ Rigdon, Joe (June 20, 2021). "NBC needs to add a constant leaderboard for golf coverage (and other U.S. Open thoughts)". Awful Announcing.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (2020-06-29). "Fox Sells Rights For United States Golf Association, Including U.S. Open, To NBC Sports". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ Beall, Joel (June 29, 2020). "USGA announces U.S. Open will move to NBC, ending relationship with FOX". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Nichols, Beth Ann (June 29, 2020). "It's official: USGA transferring all media rights from Fox Sports back to NBC". Golfweek (USA Today). Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ "NBC Sports To Tee Off USGA Deal With U.S. Women's Amateur". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
- ^ "NBC Sports to move some USGA, R&A golf programming to USA Network". Golfweek. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
- ^ "Golf Channel bios". Golf Channel. Retrieved 23 February 2021.