Nimbus Group’s Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd has entered into an agreement with PGA Tour Inc, USA, for the exclusive broadcasting rights of the PGA Tour in India for the next six years, beginning January 2010 to 2016. The deal is estimated to be worth between $4.5 million and $5 million. The broadcasting rights would include all forms of television – be it Internet, mobile TV, DTH or cable television. Unlike the prior deal, wherein Neo Sports had to share broadcasting rights for PGA Tour with Ten Sports, this time Neo Sports has bagged the exclusive rights for six years.
Prasana Krishnan, COO, Neo Sports, said, “Golf in India has got a following of around 1.5 million people, which is said to consist of the affluent segment. The PGA Tour is the premier golf tour in the world. Our renewal of broadcasting rights for six years is an indication of our interest and commitment in bringing high quality golf to Indian audiences.”
Tim Leisure, PGA Tour Senior Vice President, International Television, said, “The PGA Tour is extremely pleased to be associated with Neo Sports to broadcast the world’s best golf to the Indian Sub-continent and to Indian fans of the sport. Golf enjoys a significant and growing fan base in India, and our association with the channel will help us reach the ever-growing Indian golf audience and fulfill its expectations of access to top quality golf.”
In addition to broadcasting the live events, Neo Sports will also present two shows every week – ‘The PGA Tour Highlights’, a show that focuses on the highlights of the previous weeks PGA Tour action, and ‘Inside the PGA Tour’, which is a peek into the PGA Tour events of the week ahead. The PGA Tour playoffs consists of The Barclays, the Deutsche Bank Championship, the BMW Championship and the culminating Tour Championship, presented by Coca-Cola.
Neo Sports has been associated with the PGA Tour since 2008 and has been showcasing Tour tournaments live since then. Indian golfing enthusiasts will be treated to high quality golf action featuring players like Tiger Woods, Jeev Milkha Singh, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, among others, who would be playing. The PGA Tour season is divided into two parts – the FedExCup, which includes the PGA Tour Regular Season and the PGA Tour playoffs for the FedExCup, followed by the PGA Tour Fall Series.