Sky Sports director of golf Jason Wessely talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters coverage of this years event
By Jenny Priestley
Published: September 23, 2021
Sky Sports' director of golf Jason Wessely talks to TVBEurope about the broadcaster's coverage of this year's event
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
After a year's postponement, the 2020 Ryder Cup between the United States and Europe tees off in Haven, Wisconsin on Friday.
Once again, Sky Sports will be bringing fans all the action with 68 hours of live preview coverage on the dedicated Sky Sports Ryder Cup channel.
For the first time this will involve a unified output with Golf Channel's Live From The Ryder Cup in the days before the event, as well as two-hour build-ups to live coverage each day. The collaboration will involve Sky's talent linking to NBC talent in Haven.
Then, 20 minutes before the first tee shot, Sky's coverage will move to a bespoke team of commentators including Nick Dougherty, Ewen Murray, Laura Davies, Butch Harmon, Paul McGinley, Rob Lee and Rich Beem.
Andrew Coltart, Rich Beem, Wayne Riley, Tim Barter and Henni Koyack will be on the course with the matches. UK viewers will also see the Ryder Cup Brunch discussion and highlights show on Saturday and Sunday mornings presented by Sarah Stirk with Beef Johnston and David Howell.
Covering all of the different foursomes and singles across the three days is no mean feat. Fans will be able to watch a featured group' stream on SkySports.com and the red button which follows a group for each of the five sessions. This is also available on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube Channel for the first two days.
In terms of the actual pictures, Sky will be taking a European Tour world feed, which in turn utilises the main NBC coverage and adds extra shots from NBC camera feeds and separate cameras, Sky's director of golf Jason Wessely tells TVBEurope. NBC will share the wire cam, drone shots, jib moves and virtual course graphics. Sky and NBC follow a protocol for post-match interviews, sharing when necessary.
Both captains will hope to have their hands on the trophy come Sunday evening Among the broadcaster's technological innovations for the tournament is Trackmen Players, which enables it to show 3D images of the players that will appear in the studio as if they were real. These are all filmed against green screen on site at the Ryder Cup with all 24 players and two captains and brings the player pairings to life in an engaging way. There is also a touchscreen in the Sky Studio which activates video clips, graphics, stats and course fly-overs, adds Wessely.
The biggest difference in terms of the production for this year's event compared to 2016's Ryder Cup in Minnesota is the huge reduction in Sky's production team flying to the United States. The main production gallery is back at Sky in the UK, says Wessely. Commentary is split between remote booths in the UK and on site. There is a production hub truck on site which feeds over 40 signals back to the UK gallery which then cuts the master coverage, adding our own commentary, graphics and inserts. Most talent are on site but there are two remote commentators in London and Butch Harmon is in his Las Vegas home.
The Ryder Cup is an albert Certified production, he adds. In previous years, Sky has flown over 150 personnel to Ryder Cup OBs, but this year it is just 20 transatlantic flights and a utilisation of more American-based personnel. Sky Studios is the main production facility for the Ryder Cup coverage and is a carbon neutral building.
Asked what he thinks is the most exciting aspect of Sky's coverage of the Ryder Cup 2021, Wessely says it's the fact that the commentary team are mostly on site for the first time this year, with on-course commentators following each group. You cannot substitute for our team being on site, talking to players, walking the course, feeling the conditions, researching stories and insights first-hand, he adds.
And who will win? I'll leave that to our experts to predict, laughs Wessely. But I am hoping for a European win 14.5 to 13.5, with Shane Lowry holing the winning putt on the final hole in the final match. Although just saying that is making me very nervous and excited!
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
15/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
15/05/2026
Rebranded show announced
Ahead of their 2026 return, Music Expo have announced that they have now officially changed their name to the MONO Music Conference...
15/05/2026
Fuzz pedal joins UK companys line-up
UK-based pedal makers Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices have recently unveiled their latest creation, the Bolster. Said to pay...
15/05/2026
Join Calrec at MPTS 2026 | May 13-14 | Stand A40 | Olympia, London We're looking forward to meeting up with customers and partners at this year's Media ...
15/05/2026
The six-part series is a co-commission with BritBox and Sony Pictures Television...
15/05/2026
Against that backdrop, IAB UK has added retail media to its Gold Standard. Jan Pitt, Commercial Director at ABC, spoke with Liv McCullagh, Retail Media Lead at ...
15/05/2026
Further to RT 's statement released yesterday and in the interest of full transparency, with the full permission of Derek Mooney, we are now publishing the ...
14/05/2026
At Spotify, we're focused on making every listening experience feel intentio...
14/05/2026
Spotify recently welcomed songwriters, artists, executives, and music students t...
14/05/2026
New articulations, ostinatos, Motion Scoring Articulation Sets & more
Sonuscore's flagship cinematic string library has just been treated to a significa...
14/05/2026
World-class studio opens on T rkiye's Aegean coast
P r Recording & Residence have announced their official opening, introducing a new world-class reside...
14/05/2026
Now supports channel layouts up to 9.1.6
Nugen Audio have just released an update for their AI-powered dialogue intelligibility and compliance tool. Set to ...
14/05/2026
New recordings & one-key chord tool
UVI have just announced the release of Orchestral Suite 2, a ground-up redesign of their all-in-one symphonic orchestra ...
14/05/2026
Two new arrivals & expanded factory content
Rob Papen's all-encompassing plug-in and virtual instrument collection has just been treated to another upda...
14/05/2026
Embed QR codes into DAW sessions
FSK Audio's latest plug-in doesn't process audio, but serves as an organisational tool that allows QR codes to be e...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz transforms spectrum complexity into situational awareness and ef...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Quantum Systems join forces to redefine EW and C-UAS-enabled...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases STANAG aligned ARDRONIS Counter UAS capability at NATO...
14/05/2026
Code of Silence has won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series at Sunday night's ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.
The series, starring Rose Ayling-Ellis and w...
14/05/2026
Vivid Broadcast was embracing remote production long before it became the industry norm. Now, with Calrec's True Control 2.0-enabled Argo M and Type R conso...
14/05/2026
Comscore Reports First Quarter 2026 ResultsRESTON, Va., May 14, 2026 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating...
14/05/2026
RT is today publishing the earnings of its top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2025, ahead of the publication of RT 's Annual Report 2025 later this year...
14/05/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...
14/05/2026
The high-stakes chase thriller from Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated writer Matt Charm...
14/05/2026
Back From The Brink airs Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RT One an...
13/05/2026
13 May 2026
VEON Delivers Strong Start to 2026 1Q26: Revenue 17.0%, EBITDA 17...
13/05/2026
Thousands of props donated from Skys longest-running original seriesWednesday 13 May 2026
How a neon windmill from A League of Their Own ended up in a dogs'...
13/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 13, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that I...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
FOX Announces Schedule for 2026-27 Season FOX'S POWERFUL NEW SERIES PIPELINE FUELS A BREAKOUT SEASON WITH RETURNING HITS AND BOLD NEW STORYTELLING ACROSS ...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
12/05/2026
The latest drama underscores Sky's continued investment in regional production and Welsh creative talent.Tuesday 12 May 2026
Wales takes the spotlight in S...
11/05/2026
As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...
11/05/2026
Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...
11/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...
11/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...
11/05/2026
Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control
Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...
11/05/2026
Boasts wireless control from mobile devices
The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...
11/05/2026
Spans traditional orchestral and experimental sounds
Sonora Cinematic have recently released the third instalment in their Transfigured Orchestra series, de...
11/05/2026
Our exhibition coverage
Watch all our SUPERBOOTH 2026 video coverage in one place. Check back to this page regularly as we will be updating with more video ...
Sky Sports director of golf Jason Wessely talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters coverage of this years event
