November 25, 2024A Few Extra Holes

A Few Extra HolesComcast spinoff could put Golf Channel in playGolf Channel will be part of a handful of NBCUniversal cable networks that will be spun off by corporate owner Comcast into a separate publicly traded company, the telecommunications giant announced on Wednesday.2023 Photo with caption/creditThe move, expected to be completed within the next 12 months, comes as millions of customers continue to abandon cable-TV bundles in favor of streaming services.The new company, to be run by NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus, also would include CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, E! and Syfy. Comcast will retain NBC Sports and the Peacock streaming service, which hold broadcast rights to some PGA Tour and USGA events.“This is a very clear, direct statement by Comcast and its controlling shareholder in Brian Roberts: They are exiting the cable-network business,” Rich Greenfield, the managing director and media analyst at LightShed Partners in New York, said on CNBC. “It is no longer a growth business.”Golf-media observers have speculated that the spinoff could be an opening for the new PGA Tour Enterprises to buy Golf Channel and rebrand it as PGA Tour Network. Golf Channel is under contract with the PGA Tour and LPGA through 2030.In 2020, Golf Channel moved from Orlando, Florida, to NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and has cut back on production costs in recent years. Meanwhile, PGA Tour Studios, which Scott Michaux featured for GGP+ earlier this year, is expected to open in January at the tour’s headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. With the recent infusion of $1.5 billion from Strategic Sports Group and the potential deal with the Saudis’ Public Investment Fund, an acquisition could make sense for the tour. READ MORETAP-INSBallyneety Golf Club in Limerick, Ireland, will host the 2027 Junior Ryder Cup. Dates have not been announced for the biennial matchup of top American and European juniors that precedes the Ryder Cup matches. The 2027 Ryder Cup will be held at nearby Adare Manor on dates to be determined. READ MOREBrian Costello of Belmont, California, and a partner with the JMP Golf Design Group has been elected president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. READ MORECompiled by Steve HarmonCoverPicture ThisThe DivotHoliday toast to a season that sparkledIntl Callaway 112524AJGA’s ‘Digger’ mined junior talentIntl Titleist 112524Pic This 3Excerpt GGP+Alabama all-starPING 112524It's Your HonorTour TalkA Few Extra HolesRange RatCleveland’s HiBore XL drivers take on a whole new shapeCasa de Campo 112524Pic This 2LPGA gamerThitikul collects LPGA's richest prizeLPGA will continue to raise bar in 2025LPGA 112524DP World gamerPGA GamerIn one week, McNealy makes a ‘great year’Asian Tour gamerAm gamerMexico’s Clarisa Temelo rolls at WALAstatisticsMasthead