LPGA leaving GC?

[calebt17]

From Steve Breslow @golf.com

The Big Break-up?
It's been a bit of a bumpy ride for the oft-overlooked LPGA with its broadcast partners The Golf Channel, and according to Golf World's Ron Sirak, the ladies' tour might not be willing to take a tape-delayed back seat to the men for much longer.

Sources tell Golf World the LPGA is looking for a way out of the 10-year contract that made Golf Channel the exclusive cable partner for the women's tour beginning this year. The deal, negotiated by LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens (who was ousted in 2009) puts the LPGA at the end of a long line of live programming available to GC, including the PGA, European, Champions and Nationwide Tours. As a result, of the 94 official LPGA rounds this year, 38 were on delayed tape and 11 had no TV coverage at all--meaning more than half the tour's rounds were not seen live.

There's been no official comment from the LPGA so far (and, seeing as how they're still in the midst of this contract, don't expect one any time soon), but this news hardly comes as a surprise. Without the star power of players like Annika and Lorena Ochoa, the LPGA is more desperate than ever to attract new fans, and in a world of instant sports gratification, doing that on tape delay is a tall order.


Read more: http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2010/12/rumor-lpga-to-dump-golf-channel.html#ixzz182URkunG

 

[Sean]

I always felt that TGC gave the LPGA short shrift. Just recently the 18 man field in the Chevron superseded the LPGA Tour Championship. How goofy is that?

 

[JB]

Its going on both sides. LPGA wants live coverage. TGC wants ratings. This will most likely end well for both parties and I am not sure it will be a split. Keep in mind with Comcast coming in, things will be drastically changing.

 

[MaryC]

I agree GC has given the LPGA the short end of the stick, even when Lorena and Annika were playing. I really enjoyed the coverage of the ladies US Open on ESPN earlier this year. It was complete & thoughtful.

Unfortunately, I don't see them paying what the LPGA is going to want to broadcast tournaments

 

[gbigoose1]

I always felt that TGC gave the LPGA short shrift. Just recently the 18 man field in the Chevron superseded the LPGA Tour Championship. How goofy is that?

IMO, not that goofy. You had top players in the world playing in an event that TIGER had one like, 5 times and got second twice. People wanted to watch TIGER, not girls golf. (No knock on LPGA at all, but think..)

 

[JB]

IMO, not that goofy. You had top players in the world playing in an event that TIGER had one like, 5 times and got second twice. People wanted to watch TIGER, not girls golf. (No knock on LPGA at all, but think..)

You hit the nail on the head. TGC is a business and had to go with what brings higher ratings.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I always felt that TGC gave the LPGA short shrift. Just recently the 18 man field in the Chevron superseded the LPGA Tour Championship. How goofy is that?

I agree. I thought the same thing. I enjoy watching the ladies play and more often than not the GC seems to put them on the back burner. I hope they can get a better deal someone else.

 

[9-Iron Man]

IMO, not that goofy. You had top players in the world playing in an event that TIGER had one like, 5 times and got second twice. People wanted to watch TIGER, not girls golf. (No knock on LPGA at all, but think..)

That's just the plain truth of the matter. Tape delay or not, the LPGA does not excite me the way the PGA or European Tours do. Maybe it's the lack of star power, but I just can't get into it.