PGA Tour targets ‘multi-event’ Barstool Sports broadcast model

You’d be forgiven should you missed PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan’s shocking announcement about the way forward for the Tour’s broadcast rights on Wednesday.

The information got here buried on the backside of an explosive memo to gamers, obtained by GOLF.com, that marked the primary phrases from the commissioner since he took an undisclosed medical go away on June 13. But should you seemed carefully sufficient, the broadcast information was proper there, nuzzled behind paragraphs detailing the most recent developments on the framework settlement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the state of Monahan’s well being and the appointment of a brand new “special advisor” for gamers.

“And finally, while this isn’t a Policy Board-specific topic, I thought you would be interested in an exciting development related to this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event in Chicago,” the memo learn. “All four rounds of the NV5 Invitational will be streamed live, subscription-free, on Barstool.tv.”

The large improvement, per Monahan? Not solely would Barstool Sports be broadcasting this week’s Korn Ferry Tour occasion, the NV5 Invitational; the Tour and Barstool would additionally hope to come back out of this week’s broadcast with a blueprint for future Barstool broadcasts.

“We hope to come out of this test with a multi-event model that will provide fans with more opportunities to see live competition coverage of the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 and beyond,” Monahan wrote. “Please tune in for a bit this week and let us know your thoughts.”

It shouldn’t be a shock to listen to there’s mutual curiosity from the 2 events in extending their protection of the Korn Ferry Tour, which is owned and operated by the PGA Tour. The Tour solely receives sparing Korn Ferry Tour protection from its nationwide broadcast companions and the Golf Channel, which means the alternatives for KFT gamers and sponsors to earn nationwide consideration are few. Barstool, in the meantime, has a rabid viewers of sports activities followers, and has been focusing growing quantities of its money and time on dwell sports activities streaming lately, scooping up the rights to the Arizona Bowl amongst different dwell sports activities properties. In placing some form of dwell protection settlement, the 2 sides might every discover one thing they’re missing.

While an even bigger settlement actually is smart from a theoretical perspective, it stays to be seen how a long-term settlement between the 2 events would look in a enterprise sense. One imagines the PGA Tour aspires to gather a rights payment from Barstool for its broadcast protection, however that might probably go away Barstool needing to promote important promoting stock to entrance the price of that rights payment — or charging a subscription payment for KFT broadcast viewers.

There is, in fact, time to determine that out. But it’s shocking to listen to Monahan categorical a lot optimism concerning the long-term prospects of the format earlier than its viability has ever been correctly examined.

This week’s Barstool/KFT broadcast, which will probably be held simply north of Chicago, has been within the works at PGA Tour HQ for the higher a part of the 2023 season. The broadcast will characteristic a bunch of names from Barstool’s “Fore Play” podcast along with different personalities from the model, and can air for 3 hours per day. It will probably be obtainable, at no cost, for viewers on Barstool.television.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is a information and options editor at GOLF, writing tales for the web site and journal. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and makes use of his on-camera expertise throughout the model’s platforms. Prior to becoming a member of GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, throughout which period he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, the place he’s from. He might be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.