For the first time since 1990, the first two rounds of the PGA Championship will not be broadcast by Turner Sports.
The newly-minted second major championship of the year announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a new broadcast agreement with ESPN and CBS beginning in 2020 that will bring fans “non-stop coverage” through the 2030 major.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with two great partners in CBS and ESPN for the next 11 years to continue to drive innovation in the production and coverage of major championship golf television,” PGA of America president Paul Levy said. “I’m also extremely excited about what this partnership will do to continue to elevate the value of the nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals who are helping to move this sport forward every day.”
PGA Championship: Turner Sports is OUT after 29 years; CBS and ESPN are IN. New deal starts in 2020 and runs through 2030. Sports Business Daily has all the reactions and the details. https://t.co/veYFUUx9R3
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) October 10, 2018
“The PGA Championship has been a marquee event on CBS since 1991,” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said. “Retaining these rights was a top priority for us this year, and we are excited to have it continue as a cornerstone of our schedule for 11 more years. Together with ESPN, we look forward to greatly expanding the coverage of this great championship. The move to May will greatly benefit CBS, our viewers and the golf marketplace.”
“ESPN is proud to work together with the PGA of America and CBS to provide fans with unprecedented coverage of this prestigious event,” ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said. “The addition of ESPN+ provides us the opportunity to go even deeper in showcasing the drama and excitement of The PGA for years to come.”
ESPN and CBS will now handle the coverage of the year’s first two major championships — the Masters and the PGA Championship — as the PGA moves into its new May slot on the schedule. The U.S. Open coverage will continue to be broadcast by Fox Sports with the Open Championship broadcast being handled by Golf Channel and NBC Sports.
