The new PGA Tour television deal will make players richer and virtually guarantee fans they never again will be frustrated as a network cuts away when a tournament goes to extra holes.
The four-year pact with six networks that begins in 1999 should push total prize money past $150 million by 2002 - twice the size of this year's purse - and dramatically increase golf exposure on TV, according to commissioner Tim Finchem.The deal also includes regular tour events in prime time for the first time; the addition of three World Championship Series events; and Thursday-Friday coverage of every tournament.
Finchem said in 1999 there will be 413 1/2 hours of golf on TV, a 20 percent increase over the 353 1/2 hours this year.
More importantly to fans, perhaps, is the strong language obtained by the tour that requires networks to televise tournaments to conclusion, even if there is a weather delay or a playoff.
"In this particular agreement, I think 95 percent of the events have hard language that you will stay until conclusion," said Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports. "That is huge for the tour."
Finchem would not put a price tag on the contracts, but said the deal "provides substantial increases in rights fees."
TV revenues in 1996 were $95.6 million, nearly double the $59.7 million for 1992. It's reasonable to assume that yearly TV money will be about $200 million by 2002.
"These are very strong agreements," Finchem said Sunday. "We are delighted with the result of our discussions."
While Finchem said Tiger Woods was a factor and admitted that a player who will "move the needle on the ratings like he does has significant top-spin on the negotiations," both the commissioner and network officials said golf was bargaining from strength even without Woods.
"These negotiations would have been just as intense if he had stayed at Stanford for another year," said Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports. "Golf has been on an upswing for four or five years."
Finchem said that thanks to the increased TV revenue the average tournament purse of $1.7 million this year will be "north of $3 million" in the year 2000 and average $3.5 million by the time the agreements expire at the end of 2002. That would put the total prize money at $158.5 million in 2002 compared with $75.2 million this year.
"We will see the world-class athletes in golf receive earnings more in line with world-class athletes in other sports," Finchem said.
CBS kept the most tournaments, an average of 17 per year, while ABC averages 11, including the Tour Championship. NBC has five events a year.
ESPN has early-round coverage of all 11 ABC events, plus nine events in which it will do all four rounds. These include the first two tournaments of the year, which will be played in Hawaii and shown in prime time in most of the United States - a first for a regular PGA Tour event.