The USGA has been looking for a new television deal once its current contract with NBC expires in 2027. And after exploring the market, it appears like the US Open and other championship events aren’t going anywhere.
According to a report from Puck’s John Ourand, NBC and the USGA are close to a new agreement that will see the US Open and the various professional and amateur tournaments sponsored by the USGA remain with the NBC family of networks, namely NBC, USA, and Golf Channel.
The rights for these USGA events have seen more movement than other properties. Afer Fox signed a stunning megadeal to enter golf for the first time in the 2010s, they backed out early, returning USGA events to NBC where they had been for decades. But the American golf organization then faced a soft market in looking for its next deal that would begin after the 2027 events. NBC and the USGA exited their exclusive negotiating window without an agreement. In fact, the USGA was even projecting a loss in revenue from media rights beginning with its next cycle.
However, Ourand notes that the USGA is expected to get close to its original deal with Fox, which came in at $93 million per year. If that’s the case, it’s a good deal for the USGA.
A return to NBC was really the only option that made sense when looking at the televised sports landscape. NBC already has a longstanding relationship with the USGA and knows the properties well. They also have the perfect partner in Golf Channel to televise all of the amateur events that really only cater to the hardcore golf fans. Of note, it’s the first new TV deal that will be struck by the new spin-off company Versant that houses NBC’s cable networks.
However, there’s one more fascinating wrinkle in this. Apparently Netflix also put in a bid for USGA rights, which is yet another attempted entry into more live sports for the streaming giant. A Netflix major championship would be a stunning shift for the golf rights media landscape. And seeing the mid-am tournament next to Monday Night Raw and Stranger Things would definitely take getting used to. Yet with the success of Full Swing and Happy Gilmore 2, perhaps we shouldn’t discount the streamer’s interest in golf moving forward.
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