NBCU ‘thrilled’ to take over media rights from Fox TV

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced that the United States media rights for its championships have been transferred to Nbcuniversal (NBCU) with immediate effect.

With the Covid-19 pandemic leading to the shift in dates for the US Open from June to September, finding the necessary broadcast hours presented a challenge for FOX Sports, given their commitments to the National Football League, Major League Baseball and college football.

What started as an exploration of how FOX Sports and NBC/GOLF Channel could work together this unique year led to a broader conversation and eventual agreement for NBCU to take over the USGA media rights.

As a result, Nbcuniversal will broadcast the four championships the USGA will conduct in 2020: the US Women’s Amateur and US Amateur in August, US Open in September and US Women’s Open in Decemeber.

“We are thrilled to acquire the remainder of FOX Sports’ USGA agreement, and will carry the designated USGA events, including the US Open, through 2026,” said Pete Bevacqua, president of NBC Sports Group.

“Adding these prestigious USGA events to our already incredibly deep golf business, led by our long-term PGA Tour partnership, as well as the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, positions us as absolute leaders in the golf space.

While the details are confidential, the term of the agreement between Nbcuniversal and the USGA will be the same as the previous agreement with FOX Sports, carrying through 31 December, 2026.

● The Alps Tour, one of Europe’s third-tier circuits, has announced that is is planning to resume its 2020 schedule with the Gosser Open in Austria in the middle of August.

An updated schedule consists of a total of 11 tournaments, as well as a Qualifying School in December.