The PGA Tour could soon resemble the NFL. While its current broadcast deal runs through 2030, the Tour and its Future Competitions Committee (FCC) have proposed a new two-tiered structure set to launch in 2028, aimed at making golf more exciting for fans and more valuable to TV partners. Although CEO Brian Rolapp has said the Tour hasn’t decided whether it should begin negotiating a new media deal before the NFL in 2029, PGA Tour CCO Dhruv Prasad told SBJ that the new model will mirror the NFL’s. 

“We have a lot of conviction that the changes that we are going to make are going to improve the value proposition for our media partners and for fans of the PGA Tour. And if we’re right about that, then there will be more value for everybody and how we then distribute the product… That [NFL] experience is clearly relevant to us here in terms of diversifying platforms and expanding distribution.” 

Just two decades ago, the NFL was available to watch on only a handful of networks. However, today, the sport is scattered across several platforms. In the current season alone, the NFL is available on several TV channels, including Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix. This is, of course, thanks to Brian Rolapp himself, who served as the NFL’s Chief Media and Business Officer before joining the PGA Tour. Like him, Prasad also came to the PGA Tour after spending time in the NFL.

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Prasad also highlighted that viewers could find the Tour’s content in two different ways once negotiations for its media rights deal are finalized. One would be through its current partners, NBC/Peacock or CBS/Paramount+. However, the content could also appear on streaming-first companies that don’t rely on traditional television schedules to deliver sports. 

“They’re sort of coming at it from both sides,” Prasad said. “And I think both will be true for the PGA Tour into the 2030s.”

Prasad also mentioned that the FCC spoke with its current media partners, CBS, NBC, USA Sports, and ESPN, about the planned changes after 2028 and how they would affect the product being broadcast. He claimed that the American Tour accepted some recommendations. It will probably allow its current partners to see how these changes improve viewership.

However, if a deal isn’t reached early, it will take its product to the open market at the end of the 2028 season. That’s when they can pitch it to other media partners, offering a full season to showcase what the new PGA Tour would look like. Until 2028, though, the tour plans to showcase what it can offer its current partners and the options they have at hand. 

ESPN gets PGA Tour windows around the FedEx Cup playoffs

Earlier this month, it was announced that ESPN will get more PGA Tour coverage. It received 12 hours of live broadcast during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. This, of course, marked its biggest involvement with the tour since 2006. The network will simulcast PGA Tour Live during weekday morning windows across the FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship, and Tour Championship. 

Meanwhile, PGA Tour Live continues to provide full-day coverage. The broadcasts will feature enhanced production, including extra cameras, drones, improved audio, and 3D course and hole modeling. PGA Tour EVP of Media Norb Gambuzza said the partnership is about giving golf greater exposure. 

“Having ESPN kind of lean into PGA Tour golf at its core is a good thing, and that really is the premise of this whole thing,” he said. “… From a property standpoint, we just want the fans to know where to go and how to consume it.” 

It looks like the PGA Tour has massive changes ahead. However, only time will tell whether it sticks with its existing broadcast partners or new ones.