The NBC is once again hosting the US Open and all of the USGA Championships. The USGA announced Monday that the broadcast rights to its championships have been transferred from Fox Sports to NBC, effective immediately.

USGA: NBC recovers rights to broadcast championships including the US Open

© USGA

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but NBC will assume the remainder of the contract, until at least 2026.

NBC televised the US Open from 1995 to 2014 before Fox won the rights with a 12-year contract that was reportedly worth around $ 1 billion.

“Our partnership with NBCUniversal, including Golf Channel, gives us an unprecedented opportunity to connect and engage with the golfing public on a more direct and regular basis, and as a non-profit organization, to continue to have a significant and lasting impact on the game USGA CEO Mike Davis said in a statement.

Discussions on the transfer of broadcasting rights started a few months ago. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the US Open at Winged Foot has been postponed from June to September 17-20, complicating Fox Sports' lineup with its existing commitments to the NFL, MLB and college football.

Immediately taking over, NBC will now broadcast four USGA Championships this year: US Women's Amateur (August 3-9), US Amateur (August 10-16), US Open (17-20 September) and the US Women's Open (December 10-13). From 2021, eight of the USGA's televised championships will be broadcast continuously, including the US Women's Open and the Walker Cup. The US Open will be ad-free during the final hour of the final.

The first rounds of the US Open will be televised by Golf Channel and Peacock, NBC's on-demand streaming service set to launch next month.

The deal creates some familiarity for sports fans tuning in to the big season.

ESPN broadcasts the opening rounds of the Masters and the PGA Championship before moving to CBS for weekend coverage.

As part of the new deal, NBC / Golf Channel will now have four-part coverage of the last two major championships of the year.

The addition of the USGA Championships means NBC and its properties now own the broadcast rights for the US Open, Open Championship, Players Championship and Ryder Cup, as well as long-term partnerships with the PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour and NCAA.

“The addition of these prestigious USGA events to our already incredibly deep golf business, driven by our long-term partnership with the PGA Tour, as well as the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, positions us as absolute leader in the field of golf »said Pete Bevacqua, president of NBC Sports. “This transaction is beneficial to all parties, including NBC Sports, Golf Channel, Peacock and the USGA, but also Fox Sports, and we thank them for working with us to complete this transaction. "

Coverage of the longest day of golf will return in 2021, along with live programming for the first time from the US Women's Open.

"The recent events which called for the change of the US Open created programming problems which were difficult to overcome"said Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer of Fox Sports. “While we're proud of the success we've built over the years, it's a win for golf fans around the world, a win for the USGA and a win for Fox and NBC Sports. "

To know more : https://www.usga.org/ et https://www.nbc.com/

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