The Future of Golf is Online

Filed in archive Golf Business on April 17, 2009

Courtesy: Augusta National

On the day of the Par 3 tournament at The Masters, I wrote that it was unfortunate that live streaming of the event at masters.com was limited only to computer users with ISP addresses in the United States.

I argued that Augusta National could make a lot of money by allowing global access to the streaming coverage for a nominal fee.

Well, it turns out, I'm not alone in my thinking.

CBS claims it earned handsome profits during The Masters by selling advertisers on its online coverage as well as its live-to-air TV coverage.

The network also made millions during March Madness when college kids logged on to watch live streaming of basketball games on various devices.

This is hardly a surprise. There is a relentless shift from TV viewing to online viewing and when it comes to sports events, viewers prefer to watch it live.

The CEO of major league baseball's interactive division says MLB expects to earn 100 million dollars this year through premium subscriptions to online ball games - at more than a hundred bucks per subscriber!

And this during the Great Recession. Who'd a thunk it!

Such is the power of the medium in this case. CBS says it's negotiating with the National Football League to stream next year's Super Bowl live on the web.

The League has already streamed 17 games in a deal with NBC.

So, there's no doubt that the PGA Tour will likely take advantage of the boundless opportunities with such an arrangement. It's only a matter of time. And only a matter of time before other major tours like the European and Asian Tours take up the cry for online subscription revenue, too.

As for that thorny issue of rights, the worst possible outcome would be a repeat of what happened with the Par 3 tournament this year: no access unless you and your computer are in the U.S.

What's really dumb about that is how global advertisers like Coke, MacDonald's, Ford, GM, worldwide financial firms like UBS, Citi and many others are denied access to a literally global audience.

When you combine a targeted audience (who would watch golf online if they weren't golfers?) around the world, the intimate, one-on-one relationship between viewer and computer screen and advancements in behavioral targeting (ads that you are interested in pop up on your screen), you have the Golden Goose.

Watch for this to become a major force in keeping professional golf alive as the economic decimation continues globally.