NEWSLETTER 13.02.2015
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The R&A’s decision to switch coverage of The Open<br />
from the BBC to Sky was met with dismay last week,<br />
with pundits, pros and ordinary golfers lamenting the<br />
loss of golf’s oldest event from terrestrial TV. One<br />
of the biggest criticisms was that at a time when<br />
golf participation is going down, losing such a visible<br />
platform for the game to a Sky will only make it<br />
harder for people to see golf, and possibly take it up.<br />
To answer some of those criticisms, R&A Chief Executive<br />
has written an open letter, in which is sets out<br />
how the organisation will use some of the reported<br />
£10 million a year from Sky to grow the grassroots<br />
game.<br />
We are excited to have announced today a new<br />
broadcast model and a significant change in the way<br />
The Open will be covered from 2017. We believe this<br />
new arrangement, which will see The Open broadcast<br />
live on Sky with prime-time highlights on the BBC,<br />
will allow golf’s oldest championship to maintain<br />
its position as one of the world’s premier sporting<br />
events.<br />
I want to express my gratitude to the BBC, our trusted<br />
broadcast partn er for 60 years. Our relationship<br />
developed through The Open’s renaissance in the<br />
early 1960s, golf’s boom years in the 1970s and 80s<br />
and more recently the height of its global appeal<br />
during the 90s and 2000s. We are delighted that<br />
the BBC remains a broadcast partner of The Open<br />
Championship for 2017 and beyond and, we hope,<br />
for a great many years to come.<br />
I recognise that this new broadcast model represents<br />
a significant change and I understand that change,<br />
particularly where it involves the BBC, is controversial.<br />
We have observed, over several years, that the<br />
way the majority of people are choosing to consume<br />
sport is changing. Time pressures, multi-channel<br />
viewing providing sport and entertainment from all<br />
over the world, the second screen phenomenon, social<br />
media and digital consumption are all important<br />
factors in considering how we reach fans of all ages<br />
but particularly the younger generation. We have to<br />
cater for that changing environment and deliver the<br />
best viewing experience possible to golf fans...
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