On the heels of last month’s landmark agreement with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club to put the Open Championship on ESPN exclusively in 2010, we find that the network will provide live coverage of the Women’s Open Championship for first time on American television starting that year.
ESPN Reaches Eight-Year Agreement
for Women’s British Open
All Four Rounds on ESPN Beginning in 2010
First Time All Four Rounds will Air Live in the U.S.
Expansive Content for Digital Platforms and Expanded International Rights
ESPN will place all four rounds of the Women’s British Open live on ESPN beginning in 2010 for an eight-year period. The new pact will provide: 12 live hours of Championship play over the four days on ESPN, the first time that all four rounds will be aired live in the United States; same-day Sunday encore coverage on ABC; broad and comprehensive rights for digital platforms; and expanded television and digital media rights for ESPN International.
ESPN and The R&A recently announced an eight year deal for expansive coverage of The Open Championship on ESPN beginning in 2010.
Leah LaPlaca, Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN, said: “We are pleased to offer golf fans unprecedented live coverage of both the Women’s British Open and the Open Championship on television as well as many other devices. With this new deal, ESPN will be able to showcase the Women’s British Open like never before, with live coverage of all four rounds. ”
Shona Malcolm, Chief Executive of the Ladies’ Golf Union, which governs the Championship said, “The long-term agreement reached with ESPN will greatly enhance the coverage that the Women’s British Open achieves in the United States, and I am delighted that our Championship will now receive an almost 100% increase in broadcast time over the four days.”
Carolyn Bivens, the Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which sanctions the Championship said, “The LPGA is extremely pleased with this new television agreement for the Women’s British Open. This broadcast arrangement for the only women’s Major held outside the United States simply reinforces the remarkable international growth of women’s golf. ”
As in all recent major rights acquisitions, the wide-ranging agreement will cover multiple businesses around the world through various ESPN platforms – ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN International (ESPN in Latin America/Caribbean, TSN and RDS in Canada, ESPN Star Sports in Asia, and ESPN360 services in Mexico, Chile and Brazil), ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, and ESPN Mobile Properties.
ESPN extended and broadened its rights in Canada (TSN and RDS), Asia, Israel and Latin America territories as well as English language rights in China (ESPN Sports Star Sports). The deal also includes digital rights in all of its licensed territories (excluding China) including live streaming of all events, expansive multiplatform highlight rights (e.g. online, broadband, and wireless); television and digital VOD; and mobile TV.
Just like with the men’s tournament, ABC gets scraps with highlights during the weekend. TNT currently holds the cable rights to the Women’s Open Championship and ABC has the over the air rights, but both air the tournament on tape.
