BBC lose The Open to Sky Sports who pay £10m a year for broadcast rights
The BBC have lost the live rights to the Open Championship.
Reports today say that Sky Sports will pay more than £10million a year to snatch exclusive live rights for Open Championship golf.
This ends the BBC’s 59-year ownership of the rights after the next tournament at St Andrews in July.
However the BBC are likely to keep a highlights deal but that is a consolation prize.
The BBC had been warned during the last two Open rights renewals about the need to improve their coverage.
Reports suggest that the BBC we expecting to lose The Open rights to Sky, having prioritised saving Match of the Day by paying £204m for Premier League highlights. Premier League highlights were seen as better value for licence-fee payers than golf’s flagship event. See https://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2015/01/bbc-keep-match-day-premier-league-highlights/
The R&A has confirmed today (03/02/15) that from 2017 the Open will be screened exclusively live on Sky in a deal believed to be worth at least £75m.
The five-year deal from 2017 is believed to be worth more than double the current £7m-a year contract with the BBC.
Highlights, protected by the crown jewels list, will remain in prime time on the BBC.
From 2017, the BBC’s coverage will consist of two hours of highlights per night between 8-10pm.