GolfTV was an international streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its international sports unit and run by its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division, which aired golf tournaments, news and documentaries.
 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | International excluding United States, US Territories, China, Cuba, North and South Korea |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe |
| History | |
| Launched | January 1, 2019 |
| Closed | December 12, 2022 |
| Replaced by | Discovery+ Max |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
History
editIn June 2018, Discovery Inc. and the PGA Tour agreed to a US$2 billion, 12-year deal for its media rights outside of the United States. Discovery stated that it planned to establish an international streaming service devoted to these rights.[1] In October 2018, Discovery formed its Discovery Golf division by naming Eurosport executive vice president Alex Kaplan as president and general manager of the division, and officially announced that the service would be known as GolfTV, which would replace PGA Tour Live international.[2]
GolfTV officially launched on January 1, 2019,[3] with PGA Tour events available for users in Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia and Spain. The rights will expand as existing deals with international broadcasters lapse, beginning with Poland and South Korea in 2020, Belgium, China, Germany and South Africa in 2021, Denmark, Finland, India, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom in 2022, and France in 2024.[4][2]
In November 2018, GolfTV announced that it had signed Tiger Woods as a content partner under a multi-year deal. This includes an instructional video series,[5] and a series of events featuring Woods, inspired heavily by his 2018 event The Match: Tiger vs. Phil.[6] The first of these, The Challenge: Japan Skins, was held October 21, 2019, in Japan, and aired in the United States on Golf Channel.[7] With the 2022 merger of Discovery with WarnerMedia, whose Turner Sports division produces The Match, GolfTV will serve as one of the international distributors of the franchise beginning in 2022.[8][9]
In December 2018, Discovery and the European Tour reached a multi-year rights deal, under which GolfTV would acquire streaming rights to the Tour in various Asian, European, and Latin American markets, including exclusive rights in Italy, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey, and digital rights elsewhere. The rights also include the 2020 and 2022 Ryder Cup in selected markets. In Europe, the deal excludes Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.[10][11]
In November 2022, as part of a reorganization associated with the merger, it was announced that GolfTV would be shut down on December 12, 2022. Its content was to be dispersed to other Warner Bros. Discovery platforms, particularly Discovery+ and Max which replaced HBO Max on May 23, 2023.[12] Bell Media, which has partnered with WBD on Canadian versions of some of its other services, acquired the Canadian rights to PGA Tour Live coverage for inclusion in its new TSN+ sports streaming service.[13]
References
edit- ^ Clarke, Stewart (June 4, 2018). "Discovery Inks International Deal for PGA Tour Golf Rights". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Clarke, Stewart (October 22, 2018). "Discovery and PGA Tour Tee Up 'GolfTV' Streaming Brand for 2019 Launch". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Connolly, Eoin (March 26, 2019). "Going deep with Discovery: Peter Faricy on building GolfTV and global digital platforms for fans". SportsPro. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ McDonald, Andrew (October 22, 2018). "Discovery to launch GolfTV streaming service in January". digitaltveurope.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (November 27, 2018). "Discovery Strikes Content Pact With Tiger Woods". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Levy, Joe (April 4, 2019). "GolfTV plotting Tiger Woods head-to-head matches". SportsPro. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Bucholtz, Andrew (September 19, 2019). "Tiger Woods' first GolfTV match will be "The Challenge: Japan Skins"". Awful Announcing.
- ^ "Turner announces The Match will be distributed through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports platforms internationally". Awful Announcing. May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ "Turner Sports' presentation of The Match to be distributed internationally through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports". Eurosport. May 18, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (December 13, 2018). "Discovery Expands GolfTV With European Tour Deal". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Bassam, Tom (December 13, 2018). "Discovery announces European Tour rights swoop". SportsPro Media. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Fry, Andy (November 14, 2022). "Golf TV in the bunker as WBD dispenses with another niche streamer". Digital TV Europe.
- ^ Bell Media (January 12, 2023). "TSN Acquires Media Rights to PGA TOUR LIVE and Launches All-New Streaming Product TSN+, Available for Free Preview Beginning Today" (Press release). Retrieved January 13, 2023.