Golf Channel, NBC Tee Off As Playing Partners At WGC Tourney

Golf Channel, NBC Tee Off As Playing Partners At WGC Tourney

While the players go head to head at the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play Championships in Marana, Arizona this week, Golf Channel and NBC Sports will be working side by side.The networks, now paired under NBC Sports Group as part of Comcast's NBC Universal joint venture that was finalized last month, will team as playing partners with the 64-man Feb. 23-27 tournament via graphics, promotion, production best golf resorts and on-air talent."One of the greatest attributes of NBCU is its culture of collaboration. We want to use promotional capabilities and talent to help grow Golf Channel," said network president Mike McCarley. He noted the WGC event is the first time NBC Sports Group is truly marshaling myriad assets on and off the air to emphasize the cable network and therebranding of PGA Tour broadcasts as "Golf Channel on NBC." Golf Channel controls exclusive cable rights to Thursday and Friday coverage of the PGA Tour, while NBC holds broadcast rights to 10 events, including the next six on the sport's "southern swing.""There are very few channels whose name delivers exactly what the brand promises. Beginning with Arnold Palmer and Joe Gibbs 16 years ago, Golf Channel has built a strong brand by Enjoy Online Golf Games covering the sport with passion and authenticity, which made re-branding all NBC Sports golf coverage as ‘Golf Channel on NBC' an easy decision," said NBC Sports Group chairman Dick Ebersol. "Our plan is to grow Golf Channel by exposing it to new viewers through the broad reach of the network and the unprecedented cross-promotional power of NBCUniversal."