PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on Tuesday announced major changes to the tour’s television broadcasts. Viewers of the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational will see fewer commercial breaks, replaced by player interactions with their caddies.
Both changes have been heavily requested by fans. In the case of the commercial breaks, viewers said they were inconveniently timed and prevented them from fully enjoying the tournament. As for the players talking to their caddies, this is one of the ways to be involved in the strategic approach of each competitor.
The PGA Tour has turned these calls into a path through the Fan Forward Initiative, the organization’s strategy to engage current and new fans. The program includes surveys to get direct feedback from fans on how to improve the Tour’s product.
“Through Fan Forward, our fans are providing a roadmap for innovation and experimentation across every area of the Tour”, Monahan said, according to Golf Channel, “and while there is no single enhancement that will change everything for the better – the ability and willingness to test new features, in concert with our players and partners, is key to giving fans more content choices and deeper access to the PGA Tour and its stars.”
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The Commissioner specifically mentioned the interactions between the players and their caddies as an opportunity to give the fans the increased entertainment they have been asking for.
“In addition to wanting more live golf action,” he said, “fans are telling us they are more entertained when they can see and hear a player’s pre-shot process in the heat of the competition, and we are excited to work with Mastercard and NBC/Golf Channel to step back and allow fans to experience those intimate, real-time interactions during the telecast this week.”
Monahan also noted that this is one of the first steps in fulfilling the promise he made at the 2024 TOUR Championship to listen and act on fan feedback:
“Going back to the TOUR Championship last year, I talked about the fact that coming out of the year it felt like we had strong engagement, we had strong momentum in the business, and we were committed to innovation and committed to innovation through Fan Forward,” Monahan said, according to the PGA Tour official website. “I would say that we’re off to a strong start this year. I think in many respects we’re walking the walk that we said we were going to walk.”
The player/caddie interactions, which will be shown in the broadcast spots previously occupied by commercial breaks, will be done in collaboration with Mastercard, the presenting sponsor of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. No details have been provided on how this strategy will continue in future tournaments.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational will be played March 6-9 at its regular venue at Bay Hill. Golf Channel and NBC Sports will split the television broadcast, while PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App will do the same for streaming.
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