Sky Sports has agreed a deal with the R&A to continue showing The Open, AIG Women's Open and The R&A’s amateur championships and international matches, including The Amateur Championship, The Women’s Amateur Championship, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.
The current deal has been extended until 2028, with Sky taking over the reigns in 2016 when the BBC relinquished its rights to show golf's oldest championship on terrestrial TV a year early. Sky won a BAFTA award for its debut Open coverage at Royal Troon in 2016.
The issue of golf and its lack of terrestrial coverage in the UK will roll on, and it's one that Rory McIlroy was asked about last week - to which he simply said "buy Sky Sports".
"Just buy Sky Sports, I guess," he said to UK fans wanting to watch golf. "I think legacy media is not what it once was. Terrestrial TV, print media, no offence... but we are transitioning into a different world and I think people just consume their content differently than they once did.
"They want things on their phone. They want things on their iPads. It's just different. The consumer now compared to the consumer 20 years ago is just very, very different."
The R&A says that proceeds from the Sky deal will go towards its £200m investment in the game over ten years to support the international development of the sport.
The R&A's CEO Martin Slumbers, who last week announced his departure from the role later this year, said, “Our partnership with Sky Sports has enabled us to deliver outstanding live coverage of our championships to fans, as well as providing important revenues which support our broader activities to develop golf around the world and sustain the sport for current and future generations.
“The live broadcast continues to push boundaries and use technology to give viewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the skill required by the world’s best players and presents the drama and excitement of our championships in a dynamic and entertaining way. We look forward to continuing our work with Sky Sports over the next five years.”
Jonathan Licht, Managing Director, Sky Sports, said, “We are delighted to be able to extend our relationship with The R&A, as Sky Sports continues to be the home for the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including all the Majors this year. The Open and the AIG Women’s Open are two iconic championships and centre-pieces of any sporting summer for fans. We look forward to continuing to offer our award-winning coverage across our Sky Sports platforms.”
This year's Open Championship returns to Royal Troon for the first time since 2016, while the AIG Women's Open takes place at St Andrews for the third time.
