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Just one day after Turner officially opted out of renewing its deal to carry the British Open, ESPN has hashed out a new long-term agreement with tournament organizer R&A.
Effective 2010, the eight-year pact gives ESPN the rights to all four rounds of the Open, which has been in the ABC family since 1961. Per terms of the deal, ESPN will televise 34 live hours of play from Thursday to Sunday, while ABC will deliver six hours of weekend highlights.
Financials were not disclosed.
In addition to the linear TV rights, ESPN’s deal with the R&A includes what the network characterized as “broad and comprehensive rights for digital platforms”––including video-on-demand, mobile and live streaming––as well as expanded TV and digital-media rights for ESPN International.
“One of the most venerable of all sporting events has embraced the 21st-century worldwide media landscape, and we’re thrilled to showcase The Open like never before,” said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN and ABC Sports. “The scope of this deal and the enhancements we obtained offer us tremendous opportunities to serve the R&A and golf fans around the world through any device.”
Negotiations were led by IMG.
Also wrapped into the terms of the deal are the exclusive U.S.rights to the Senior Open Championship, which is governed jointly by The R&A and the PGA European Tour, and coverage of the next two Walker Cups to be contested in the U.K. (2011 and 2015).
