Sky Confirms Exclusive Open Rights

04 Feb 2015 | sigadmin

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Following weeks of speculation, Sky Sports has finally been confirmed as the exclusive live rights to The Open Championship after the broadcaster agreed a five-year contract with the R&A, starting from 2017.

The deal ends six decades of free-to-air coverage by the BBC of golf’s oldest major.

Media reports in recent weeks have suggested that Sky would be interested in securing the rights, and has reportedly committed around £10 million per year, a significant increase on what the BBC has been paying.

Sky’s recent acquisition boosts its golf portfolio that already includes live coverage of the three Majors played in the US each year – sharing live coverage of the final two rounds of the Masters with the BBC. Sky is also the UK broadcast rights-holder of the Ryder Cup.

As part of The Open agreement, Sky will also broadcast exclusive live coverage of the Walker Cup, an amateur team event, in 2019.

Barney Francis, Sky Sports managing director, said: “The Open is the world’s preeminent golf championship and we are committed to taking coverage of the event to new levels. We offer something for every sports fan and this exciting agreement for The Open means our customers can now enjoy all four Majors live.

Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A, added: “We believe this is the best result for The Open and for golf. The way people consume live sport is changing significantly and this new agreement ensures fans have a range of options for enjoying the Championship on television and through digital channels. Sky Sports has an excellent track record in covering golf across its platforms and has become the home of live golf coverage over recent years. We are very much looking forward to working with them to develop and enhance the coverage of The Open.”

Sky’s advertising breaks during live play will be restricted to four per hour, each lasting for no more than 60 seconds.

Meanwhile the BBC, which will broadcast its last Open live at Troon in 2016, will show a prime-time highlights package and will continue its radio coverage of the tournament.

Barbara Slater, the BBC’s director of sport, commented: “We’re obviously disappointed that we were unable to retain live TV coverage. However, we’re pleased to be continuing our 60 year partnership with the R&A and feel that a comprehensive two hour highlights programme – a format which has already proven successful – in a prime-time slot over four days will allow us to continue to bring all the best action and key moments from The Open to a large free-to-air audience on TV, radio and online.”