Oz’s Seven Scores World Cup of Golf

MELBOURNE: Seven Network in Australia has signed an agreement for all-encompassing coverage of this year’s World Cup of Golf, which will be held in November.

Seven has acquired all rights in Australia, including free-to-air broadcast television, subscription TV rights and Seven’s digital platforms (online, mobile and social media). The World Cup of Golf will take place from November 23 to 27 at Kingston Heath in Melbourne. This year marks the 58th edition of the event.

This deal builds on Seven’s coverage of The Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship along with The Masters from Augusta. The channel is also slated to air the Rugby League World Cup in 2017, the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, the Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and the Olympic Games in 2020, among other major international sporting events.

Brian Thorburn, the CEO of the PGA of Australia and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, and host Tour member of the International Federation of PGA Tours, stated: “Seven is Australia’s number one television network and a strong supporter of Australian golf already, so the PGA is thrilled that Seven has secured the broadcast rights for the World Cup of Golf. With the Emirates Australian Open the week before and the Australian PGA Championship the week after the World Cup, Australian golf fans can look forward to watching three consecutive weeks of world-class golf on Channel Seven. On behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours and PGA we applaud Seven for their vision and their support of Australian Golf.”

Saul Shtein, Seven’s head of sport, said: “We’re delighted to be the home of the World Cup of Golf. We are looking forward to working with them. Our securing of the Cup is yet another step in our development as we build the significant sports platforms to create our future. The World Cup delivers our business an extraordinary opportunity to drive home our leadership as we broadcast the AFL Grand Final, the Melbourne Cup, the World Cup of Golf, the Australian Open Golf and Australian PGA Championship, Rugby League World Cup, the Australian Open, the Olympic Winter Games and the Commonwealth Games.”

Kurt Burnette, Seven West Media’s chief revenue officer, added: “The World Cup of Golf is a strategic acquisition to further bolster our sports and our multiple-screen delivery of sports and premium content. This tournament will bring the world’s best players together with world-class innovation to deliver a targeted and highly sought-after audience for advertisers. We are very excited about all the plans in place for the tournament.”