The BBC is announcing today that the R&A has agreed with our proposal to amend the broadcast arrangements for The Open Championship one year earlier than planned. From 2016 rather than 2017, the BBC’s coverage of The Open will take the form of extended peak time TV highlights, live radio and enhanced digital rights.
So why has the BBC taken this step and what does it mean for golf fans?
Much has been written and spoken recently about the BBC’s finances and its offering to licence fee payers. The funding agreement announced in the Chancellor’s July budget and the overview of the BBC’s future finances outlined in the Charter Review proposals make it clear that the BBC is faced with some challenging financial savings targets. Sport on the BBC is not immune to those pressures and they are compounded by the highly inflationary nature of the rights market.
Now, more than ever, it is critical that the BBC targets its resources to ensure maximum choice and value for money for licence fee payers. We have already made long term commitments to a wide range of major sporting events, including the Wimbledon Championships to 2020, the next two Football World Cups, Match of the Day to 2019, 6 Nations to 2021 and the next three Olympic Games.
So following the announcement that Sky had been awarded the live TV rights to The Open and in light of financial developments since, the choice to amend the current contract from next year was a pragmatic one. We know that many fans are unhappy with the loss of rights and in an ideal world the BBC would still be the home of live coverage of The Open.
A comprehensive two-hour highlights TV programme - a format which has already proven successful during the Ryder Cup - in a prime-time slot over four days will allow us to continue to bring all the best action and key moments from The Open to free-to-air viewers. With the live radio coverage unaffected and scope to provide something fresh and new on our mobile services, we are confident that our overall audience offering will remain a compelling one.
The BBC and The R&A have operated a successful partnership for more than 60 years and that is set to continue well into the next decade as we bring the Open Golf Championship to the widest possible audience.
Barbara Slater is Director, BBC Sport
