ESPN, TGL Ink U.S. Media Rights for Exclusive Coverage on All Network Platforms

ESPN, TGL Ink U.S. Media Rights for Exclusive Coverage on All Network Platforms By SVG Staff

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 9:02 am

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TGL presented by SoFi, the new tech-forward, team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR, and ESPN have announced a multi-year partnership that makes ESPN the exclusive home of TGL matches in the United States beginning in January 2024. Other terms were not available, but ESPN is paying a fee for the rights to TGL

Innovation and creativity are core to our ESPN mission and TGL will bring those tenets to life for golf fans, says Rosalyn Durant, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. TGL is going to be a two-hour presentation unlike anything you have seen before. All players will wear live microphones and viewers will have unprecedented access during competition. It's an exciting landscape for presenting golf and we look forward to bringing it to fans.

TGL programming will be featured across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN . ABC will air a TGL presented by SoFi preview show on Saturday, Dec. 30. The inaugural TGL match will air in prime time on ESPN and ESPN on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the night following the College Football Playoff National Championship. The second TGL match will air in prime time on ESPN and ESPN on Tuesday, Jan. 16, the night following ESPN's Monday Night Football NFL Wild Card game. All Matches will air on either ESPN or ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN .

We believe ESPN is the right home for TGL presented by SoFi and recognize the strategic benefits of Disney's portfolio. ESPN is often the first stop for sports fans, no matter the platform, and we're honored by ESPN's view that TGL complements their current offering of major league sports, says Mike McCarley, Founder & CEO, TMRW Sports and TGL. ESPN has embraced the concept from our very first meeting and we're looking forward to launching TGL in prime time on ESPN and bringing our teams of the PGA TOUR's biggest stars to their ESPN's legion of sports fans. The two-hour match format has been designed for today's sports fan, as it's rooted in the traditions of golf, but adds technical elements that are unique to a modern, sports arena environment.

TGL presented by SoFI will debut in January 2024:

ESPN: TGL Week 1: The inaugural TGL match will air on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN . This will benefit from a promotional surge the night prior during ESPN's coverage of the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, traditionally one of the most-watched ESPN events every year.

ESPN: TGL Week 2: TGL's second week match will air on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET, the night after ESPN's Monday Night Football NFL Wild Card Game that airs on both ESPN and ABC.

ABC: TGL Preview Show: On Saturday, Dec. 30, ABC will air a TGL presented by SoFi preview show that will delve into the debut of this new golf league and introduce the six teams of PGA TOUR players, some of whom will demonstrate the advanced technology behind TGL in SoFi Center, the custom-built TGL arena.

All Matches will air on ESPN or ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN .

A detailed schedule for the inaugural season of TGL will be released at a later date.

TGL presented by SoFi is a new golf league that fuses advanced tech and live action with teams of PGA TOUR stars across a season of matches in prime time starting on Tuesday, Jan. 9, on ESPN and ESPN . SoFi Center is TGL's purpose-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on the campus of Palm Beach State College. Technology is a foundational element of TGL, offering fans a progressive, shorter format presentation of team golf, featuring some of the PGA TOUR's biggest superstars. Currently, 12 players committed to playing in TGL have been announced, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, and Billy Horschel. With currently 5 of the top 10 players in the world, this initial list of committed players has won 28 major championships, 190 PGA TOUR wins, and collectively has ranked as the World No. 1 for 886 weeks. Additionally, nine announced TGL players represented their countries last week at the 2023 Ryder Cup.

TGL Teams: Six teams of top PGA TOUR players in three-player, head-to-head match play.

Custom-Built Venue: SoFi Center is a first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course paired with a tech-infused, short-game complex.

Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a two-hour televised match. All TGL players will be mic'd up.

Inaugural Season: 15 regular season matches followed by semifinals and finals matches, on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN in the U.S.

Team names, brands, front office staff and assigned players will be unveiled later this year, as will the inaugural schedule and other operational and fan-centric elements of TGL presented by SoFi. Currently four of six team ownership groups have been announced:

TGL Atlanta: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA TOUR Superstores)

TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins)

Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Serena Williams, and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco and Michelle Wie West

TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/10/05/espn-tgl-ink-u-s-media-rights-f...
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