Happy New Golf Year! (Part 2)
Hello. Tomorrow the PGA Tour season begins. The Mercedes-Benz Championship is on at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. And it will be the debut of The Golf Channel's PGA Tour coverage. The two questions are, how will it go? And who will watch?
There's no question The Golf Channel has come a long way in 11 years. It is a must for golfers. The uproar when it was moved by Rogers Cable onto a digital tier was unbelievable. Fortunately I'm in an area that is not impacted.
Will the cast of The Golf Channel be able to handle every Thursday and Friday for a whole year, with no break? They do have talent, but as I mentioned before, it may not translate into their new roles. While Kelly Tilghman does excellent interviews and hosting, doing play-by-play is a different animal. Can she be a Greg Gumbel or Jim Nantz and make the transition? I hope so, because her appearance is historic.
The next question is more interesting. Both golf and the NHL have opted for "specialty channels" instead of sure-fire ESPN. The thinking is the potential for new fans decreases because ESPN is on at the bars and is on everyone's cable package.
My thinking is it's less of an issue for golf because the third and foourth rounds are on major networks (NBC and CBS, with the British Open on ABC). These are the rounds that can grab the new fans, because they're more interesting. There's no winner declared on the weekdays, so it's tougher for a new fan to get into it.
All the best to The Golf Channel in 2007! You have a chance for TV immortality. Go for it!
Regards,
Steve
There's no question The Golf Channel has come a long way in 11 years. It is a must for golfers. The uproar when it was moved by Rogers Cable onto a digital tier was unbelievable. Fortunately I'm in an area that is not impacted.
Will the cast of The Golf Channel be able to handle every Thursday and Friday for a whole year, with no break? They do have talent, but as I mentioned before, it may not translate into their new roles. While Kelly Tilghman does excellent interviews and hosting, doing play-by-play is a different animal. Can she be a Greg Gumbel or Jim Nantz and make the transition? I hope so, because her appearance is historic.
The next question is more interesting. Both golf and the NHL have opted for "specialty channels" instead of sure-fire ESPN. The thinking is the potential for new fans decreases because ESPN is on at the bars and is on everyone's cable package.
My thinking is it's less of an issue for golf because the third and foourth rounds are on major networks (NBC and CBS, with the British Open on ABC). These are the rounds that can grab the new fans, because they're more interesting. There's no winner declared on the weekdays, so it's tougher for a new fan to get into it.
All the best to The Golf Channel in 2007! You have a chance for TV immortality. Go for it!
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 4:23 PM
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