Cartoon Net Helps Tee Up Turner PGA Pact

Never underestimate the power of kids. Glossed over in media coverage of Turner Sports’ recent extension of its TV rights agreement with PGA of America to televise the PGA Championship and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf through 2019 was the prominent role that Turner’s Cartoon Network played in getting the PGA to reup.With Turner just having lost its TV rights to the first two rounds of the British Open Championship beginning next year to ESPN, giving ESPN its third professional golf major tournament, there were rumblings that Turner’s TNT was in jeopardy of not having its deal with PGA of America renewed, which would have taken Turner out of the televised golf business after 2011, when its deal with the PGA ran through.But according to David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Turner took a proactive approach to pitch an extension to the current deal by suggesting that Cartoon Network and Cartoon Network Enterprises, the licensing arm of the network, could work with the PGA to target kids and get them interested in golf at an early age.“Our pitch excited PGA officials and it helped us extend our TV rights deal with them,” Levy said.Under the terms of the deal, Cartoon Network Enterprises, which was formed in 2005, will act as the PGA of America licensing agent to create consumer product lines, including apparel, that will be co-branded, targeting kids. CNE will also create events in various cities targeting the youth market and work with retail stores to promote the product lines.Cartoon Network itself will offer contests and sweepstakes tied into the PGA on air and will also run public service announcements about golf. And Levy said the development of special golf programming could also be part of the deal.And Cartoon Network will also create social media platforms on Internet sites aimed at educating kids and attempting to get them interested in playing and watching golf. PGA of America chief executive officer Joe Steranka said, “While Turner will continue to showcase PGA’s tradition of dramatic championships, we’re especially excited about new initiatives in the [Cartoon Network] licensing division and the creation of social media platforms that will help us make the game relevant and interesting to the new generation of golfers.”Levy believes that the earlier NBA/Cartoon Network deal and this latest one with the PGA is something that the other professional sports leagues should look at as a way of bringing young viewers into the tent.But while Cartoon Network played a big role in helping Turner get the extension, it was not the only factor.In addition to continuing to televise the first complete coverage of the two rounds of the PGA Championship and PGA Grand Slam of Golf Thursday and Friday, as well as morning coverage of the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday, Turner will also continue to manage the PGA.com Web site. In the later role, Turner is planning to enhance the site so that users can connect with one another in various ways and to also be able to interact with PGA professionals online to receive game tips, analysis and feedback to their questions.In 2005, Turner made the PGA Championship the first golf event to be made available across five platforms--TV, online, video-on-demand, mobile and pod cast--in what it touted as its 360 degree coverage of the championship.And in 2007, it became the first golf event to offer multiple live video stream via PGA.com Pipeline, managed by Turner. This is the 19th year that Turner and the PGA have been in a TV rights partnership.TNT is televising the British Open on July 16-19 this year for the last time after a 7 year run, during which time it won a Sports Emmy award for it coverage.

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Cartoon Net Helps Tee Up Turner PGA Pact

John Consoli

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John Consoli