Tiger Woods has signed a long-term global exclusive content partnership with GolfTV, the new PGA Tour streaming service being developed by Discovery. GolfTV will launch across international markets outside the U.S. starting Jan. 1, 2019.
Woods will participate in weekly practice and instructional videos to help viewers improve their golf game as part of his new deal with GolfTV. Additional video content will include access to Woods’ preparation routines as well as exclusive post-round commentary from Woods after PGA Tour events. The partnership gives Discovery the right to distribute its exclusive Woods-related video content in the U.S. as well as globally, despite the GolfTV streaming service only launching in international markets as part of a 12-year, $2 billion media rights deal Discovery signed with the PGA Tour in June.
“Getting the chance to do instruction is exciting,” Woods said in a press release. “I’ve always been focused on my own game and this experience can help players everywhere. Whether you’re a long-time player or a beginner, there are some things that help us all play better. It’s one way I want to give back to people who love the game like I do. If I can help the next generation enjoy the game more and play better, that’s pretty special.”
GolfTV will present more than 2,000 hours of live action each year, including live streams of the PGA Tour’s featured holes and featured groups. The service will launch across all international markets (besides the U.S., China, and South Korea) starting in January 2019, with new countries planned to debut each year until 2024. NBC Sports Gold holds exclusive PGA Tour streaming rights in the U.S. for the 2019 season.
“I don’t want to say this was easy, but we had such a shared vision, it wasn’t a hard sell,” said Alex Kaplan, president of Discovery Golf, according to Golf Digest. “In fact he was almost selling us on ideas he had and the whole concept of instruction and how to teach fans the game, especially in other parts of the world where golf might a bit more nascent … I wish I could sit here and tell you we had to convince him to do it, but the two parties got together and quickly realized there was a shared vision.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Golf is a global sport and there is no more recognizable ambassador of the game than Tiger Woods. GolfTV will cover nearly 150 PGA Tour events per year, and will now add exclusive original programming from Woods to round out its OTT streaming offering. GolfTV represents a major jump into the sports industry for a traditional lifestyle-branded network such as Discovery, although the company also broadcasted the 2018 Winter Olympics and owns the Eurosport television network.