NBC Sports takes British Open rights from 2016
October 14, 2015
NBC Sports Group has announced that their long-term media agreement with The R&A will begin one year early, starting with The 145th Open at Royal Troon in July 2016. After completing negotiations that included various industry considerations with ESPN, this accelerates NBC Sports Group’s partnership with The R&A and includes coverage of The Senior Open Championship and RICOH Women’s British Open in the US.
“First and foremost, we want to congratulate ESPN for their company’s successful stewardship of The Open for the last several decades, and we thank them for allowing us to start our partnership with The R&A one year early,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman of NBC Sports Group. “2016 promises to be exciting for all of golf, as The Open kicks off a historic stretch, including the Rio Olympics, the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs and Ryder Cup on Golf Channel and NBC.”