McIlroy Masters success tees up PGA TV rights price hike for Sky Sports
Ahead of the Game: Can Sky Sports hold on to PGA rights, how do Hundred teams claim their cash, will Everton’s women stay at Goodison Park, and what will Super League look like in 2028?
The PGA Tour is hoping to capitalise on the Rory McIlroy effect by securing a significant increase in the value of their UK TV rights, which were put out to tender last week.
Sky Sports are the most likely winners of the rights auction as they have a long-term partnership with the PGA, with their loyalty to the established tour shown by their refusal to televise the rebel LIV Golf Series, despite being offered rights to the Saudi-backed tournaments at a knockdown price.
Sky Sports may have to pay a premium to secure an extension to the existing contract that expires at the end of this year however, after revealing bumper viewing figures for McIlroy’s historic Masters victory on Sunday night.
The Northern Irishman’s triumph in achieving a career Grand Slam was watched by a peak audience of 1.85m, a staggering 37 per cent of total TV viewership at the time.
McIlroy’s victory helped Sky Sports achieve record viewing figures on Sunday, with their coverage reaching 7.5m viewers on linear channels throughout the day.
Sky Sports’ average audience across all their channels from 6am on Sunday until 2am was 1.3m – a 19 per cent share of the total audience and an impressive 39 per cent amongst under 35s – with armchair fans tuning in throughout the day to watch the Premier League, EFL, Formula One and tennis before the Masters climax.
The PGA Tour’s current deal with Sky Sports guarantees them a minimum of 36 events each year. Sky Golf also has the rights to all the men’s and women’s majors, the DP World Tour and the Ryder Cup.
To the ECB: Cricket’s Hundred handouts
Counties desperate to get their hands on a £20m-plus pay-cheque when the ECB completes the part sale of the eight Hundred franchises, which is expected to take place at the end of the month, will have to be patient.
The £520m windfall will be managed by the ECB’s Finance, Audit and Risk Committee in the first instance, with counties wishing to access the money instructed to apply to that body for a pay-out.
Contrary to some expectations that counties with large debts to repay, such as Yorkshire, would receive expedited funding the ECB are determined that all clubs should be treated equally.
Debt management will not be given preferential treatment over capital investment, for example, so former ECB Chairman Colin Graves may have to bide his time before his £20m debts are repaid by Yorkshire.
A Goodison decision?
Everton’s owners have set a deadline for the end of May to decide whether to reconfigure Goodison Park as a new permanent home for the club’s women’s team from next season.
The Friedkin Group want to move their women’s operation from their current ground at Walton Hall Park as part of a wider attempt to grow the fan-base, but the club’s new 52,000-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock as far too big to host Brian Sorensen’s side on a regular basis.
TFG has commissioned a feasibility study to examine whether reducing the capacity of Goodison to around 25,000 could provide an alternative. As well as the cost for the refurbishment external consultants have also been asked to consider whether such changes would still enable the ground to fulfil community functions set out in the Goodison Legacy Project, a series of commitments made to Liverpool City Council five years ago.
The legacy project commits Everton to providing affordable social housing, a community health and medical centre, residential care, a new education centre, offices, community-focused retail, three residential towers and a park.
TFG are moving quickly, as after completing their purchase of the club last December quickly concluded that Walton Hall Park is not fit for purpose. The 2,200-capacity stadium only has 500 seats, is five miles outside Liverpool and will not comply with new minimum ground standards the Women’s Super League are planning to bring in next season.
A Super League TV Rights deal?
The NRL want control of Super League’s UK television deal as part of a proposal to buy a 33 per cent stake in the competition, which could have implications for the domestic rugby league’s long-term rights partner, Sky Sports.
The value of the Super League Sky Sports deal has halved over the last three years, with the 12 clubs receiving just £21m between them last season. The NRL’s TV deal is far more lucrative at around £190m-a-year, with the Australian clubs seeking an increase of 33 per cent when the current contract expires in 2027.
The NRL’s proposed investment in Super League would start in 2028, with sources involved in the negotiations telling Morning Wire that it has been timed to coincide with their next television contract. The NRL want to bundle Super League games into their own TV tender, giving them more content to sell to broadcasters, and more matches for fans.
The NRL’s current TV contract is with Australian free-to-air channels Foxtel and Channel Nine, but they are targeting providers for their next deal, with Dazn and Amazon Prime interested. A global deal also involving a new NRL Europe may suit all parties.