Golf Channel
| Golf Channel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | January 17, 1995 |
| Owned by |
NBC Sports Group (NBCUniversal) (TGC, Inc.) |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area |
United States Canada Asia Latin America |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida |
| Sister channel(s) |
NBCSN Comcast SportsNet |
| Website |
GolfChannel.com NBCSports.com |
Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV (U.S.) |
218 (HD/SD) 1218 (VOD) |
| Dish Network (U.S.) | 401 (HD/SD) |
| Astro (Malaysia) |
815 (SD) 835 (HD) |
| SKY México (Mexico) | 528 (SD) |
| DishHD (Taiwan) | 6360 (HD) |
| SKY Brasil | 26 |
| Indovision (Indonesia) | 305 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most U.S. and Canadian cable systems | Consult your local cable provider for channels |
| StarHub TV (Singapore) | 213 (SD) |
| UPC Czech Republic | Check local listings for channels |
| IPTV | |
| Bell Fibe TV (Canada)TELUS TV (Canada) |
1415 (HD) 416 (SD)116 (SD) 668 (HD) 656 (3D) |
| AT&T U-verse (U.S.) |
1641 (HD) 641 (SD) |
Golf Channel (originally "The Golf Channel" from 1995 to 2007) is an American cable and satellite television network that is owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal. The channel focuses on coverage of the sport of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the channel's headquarters and studios are currently located in Orlando, Florida. Golf Channel is available in the United States, Canada and a few nations in Asia and Latin America through cable, satellite and wireless transmissions.
As of August 2013, Golf Channel is available to approximately 82,089,000 pay television households (71.88% of households with television) in the United States.[1]
History and programming
The network was launched on January 17, 1995.[2] The idea of a 24-hour golf network came from media entrepreneur Joseph E. Gibbs of Birmingham, Alabama, who first thought of such a concept in 1991. Gibbs felt there was enough interest in golf among the public to support such a network, and commissioned a Gallup Poll to see if his instincts were correct. With the support of the polling behind him, Gibbs and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer then secured $80 million in financing to launch the network, which was among the first cable networks developed to cover one singular sport. The first live tournament the channel televised was the Dubai Desert Classic, held from January 19 to 22, 1995.
Golf Channel features a range of golf programming, including PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour (now called the Web.com Tour) events. The channel devotes considerable time to news coverage of golf, including a nightly program, Golf Central. There are highlight shows of past tournaments, and a reality television competition show, The Big Break, whose premise is to help aspiring professionals gain exemptions into PGA Tour and LPGA events. In 2005, Golf Channel helped set up a special match play event called Big Stakes Golf, in which teams of two paid a $100,000 entry fee to play in a special tournament where the winning team split a $3,000,000 first-place prize, the largest in golf history. In the end, mini-tour professionals Garth Mulroy and David Ping won the grand prize.
In 2007, Golf Channel embarked on a 15-year agreement as the exclusive cable television home for the PGA Tour. The network’s annual coverage features early-round coverage of the entire FedEx Cup season, including the World Golf Championships, The Tour Championship and The Players Championship. In total, early-round coverage of 30 events air on Golf Channel. Also included in the package are 13 full, four-round events beginning with the season’s first three tournaments – SBS Championship, Sony Open in Hawaii, and the Bob Hope Classic – and the five official money events following The Tour Championship. The network also provides full coverage of three tournaments played opposite golf's majors and World Golf Championships. Every PGA Tour event airs live and is then rebroadcast in prime time, a first for the PGA Tour.
In January 2011, Comcast, owners of Golf Channel, acquired a 51% majority stake in NBCUniversal from General Electric. As part of the acquisition, Comcast's sports networks began to be restructured and merged with the existing NBC Sports division. As a part of these changes, NBC's golf telecasts would take on Golf Channel's production and branding as "Golf Channel on NBC" beginning in February 2011, NBC Sports personalities began to appear more frequently on Golf Channel, and former NBC Sports senior vice president Mike McCarley took over as the network's new head.[3][4]
High definition
A 1080i high definition feed of Golf Channel was launched in January 2007. Initially, its HD feed with shared with sister network Versus (replaced by NBCSN) in an arrangement marketed as Versus/Golf HD; Golf Channel programming was broadcast during the daytime hours, and Versus programming was broadcast during the evening and primetime hours. The shared channel was replaced by individual HD feeds for both channels in December 2008.[5]
Programs
Tour coverage
- Champions Tour, played at various venues in the United States, Canada and South Korea.
- European Tour, played at various venues throughout Europe.
- LPGA Tour, played at various venues worldwide.
- Web.com Tour, played at venues in the United States, Mexico, Panama and Colombia.
- PGA Tour, played at various venues in the United States and worldwide.
News and analysis
- Golf Central
- Morning Drive
Factual and reality
Instruction
- Champions Tour Learning Center
- Golf Fitness Academy
- Playing Lessons
- School Of Golf
- The Golf Fix
On-air staff
International version
Golf Channel UK
A British version of the channel called Golf Channel UK was operated by sporting goods retailer JJB Sports, and was available on the BSkyB satellite service. It broadcast many of the programs seen on the U.S. channel, but was unable to attract a viable audience as it offered few live golf tournaments; the channel shut down on December 31, 2007. All the major tours have their main broadcasting contracts in UK with either Sky Sports or Setanta Golf, and BBC Sport covers several major tournaments each year.
Golf Channel Latin America
The Latin American version of the Golf Channel was launched in 2006, as a joint venture between DirecTV and Paraguayan businessman Carlos Ávila.[6] The channel broadcasts professional tournaments from the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and European Tour with Spanish-speaking journalists, as well as Golf Central and other English-language shows.
References
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (August 23, 2013). "List of How Many Homes Each Cable Networks Is In - Cable Network Coverage Estimates As Of August 2013". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ↑ Winfrey, Lee. "Golf Channel tees off Tuesday, joining History Channel as new cable fare", Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, January 16, 1995. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from HighBeam Research.
- ↑ Renyolds, Mike. "McCarley To Head Golf Channel, Davis Out At Versus In NBC Sports Group Reorg: Sources". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ↑ Williams, Jim. "Jim Williams: Golf coverage has new look". Washington Examiner.
- ↑ Moss, Linda. "Comcast To Launch Three HD Nets, Including E!". Multichannel News. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ↑ Fanáticos del golf contarán un canal dedicado sólo a este deporte - El Mercurio, 12 October 2006 (in Spanish)
External links
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