NBC secures Ryder Cup TV rights through 2030

[Howard Riefs]

On the heels of FOX taking the US Open, NBC could ill-afford to lose the Ryder Cup. Smart of them to wrap this one up:

http://www.rydercup.com/usa/news/pga-and-nbc-announce-ryder-cup-tv-agreement

That being said, Fox and CBS are committed to NFL games in the fall and couldn't carry the Sunday matches on their primary stations. Or so one would think... so the primary competition for NBC was likely ESPN.  

[BHoover]

After reading the recent Golf Digest article on the USGA's decision to bolt to FOX, I think that it's going to be VERY interesting to see what happens to The Masters.  The article seemed to suggest that several industry insiders (whatever the hell that mneans) think (or won't be surprised) if ANGC decides to open up the broadcast rights to the highest bidder.  For some reason, I can't see any network other CBS handling The Masters, but I suppose anything is possible.

[Matthew Rose]

Oh good. I look forward to an 84 year-old Johnny Miller telling Charlie Woods to get off his lawn.

[Rick Shefchik]

I knew this thread couldn't go two responses without somebody using it as an excuse to bash Johnny Miller.

I hope he lasts as long as Henry Longhurst did, and gets every bit as cranky.

[Paul Carey]

I will be an old man but I look forward to the day I don't have to listen to Jim Nantz or Johnny Miller.

[Terry Lavin]

One fall golf event vs all if the big USGA championships during golf season. Nice, but not much of a "get".

[Peter Pallotta]

I love stories like these, cause I figure rich people and corporations are a lot smarter about money things than I am; so if NBC is committing big bucks for the next 20 years, I'm guessing the economy won't be going to hell in a hand basket just yet!

Peter

[Tim_Cronin]

ESPN gets the Friday rights in 2014 (the last year of the deal that saw NBCUniversal trade for Al Michaels, sending Disney the rights to Walt Disney's first cartoon character, invented when he was at Universal, and the first day of several Ryder Cups). After that Golf Channel will televise on Friday. GC also will televise practice rounds beginning in 2014 and a bunch of shoulder programming. NBC will televise on the weekends.

All of that, I think, will be more interesting to the average golf nut than the coverage of the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur or the USGA's state team championships on Fox Sports 1.