The PGA Tour said it has made a deal with Facebook, which will stream exclusive coverage of live Saturday and Sunday competition during eight of its golf events.
The 60-plus hours of coverage will be presented free on Facebook Watch in the United States.
The move is the latest example of streaming companies acquiring rights to live sports — often the TV industry’s most popular programming.
The Facebook Watch-exclusive coverage window will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET on both Saturday and Sunday of each event and will conclude when Golf Channel’s lead-in coverage begins.
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The PGA Tour will produce this unique coverage for Facebook’s social video platform, with interactive elements designed to engage fans. For example, the coverage will incorporate fan questions and comments, the PGA Tour said.
“No matter if it's a weekend foursome or water-cooler conversation about a top moment on Tour, golf brings people together,” said Devi Mahadevia, Facebook’s North America live sports programming lead. “So we're delighted to partner with the PGA Tour to help it reach new fans and deliver interactive, live coverage on Facebook that taps into the social nature of the sport.”
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The Facebook Watch coverage will begin at the Travelers Championship on June 23 and June 24. The remaining events in 2018 include: Quicken Loans National; A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; John Deere Classic; RBC Canadian Open; World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Wyndham Championship; and The Northern Trust.
The agreement also calls for a range of on-demand programming, including tournament previews, round recaps and extended player highlights, which will be available in the United States on Facebook Watch and globally via the PGA Tour Live show page.
In May, the PGA Tour sold Facebook the rights to stream 30-plus hours of live coverage from The Players Championship.
