Sky Sports retains rights to The Open Championship and AIG Women’s Open

UK’s pay TV provider, Sky Sports, will continue to deliver live golf coverage of The Open Championship, AIG Women’s Open and elite amateur events until 2028.

Sky Sports extends its broadcasting agreement with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (The R&As) which started in 2016.

In the four deal, the sports broadcaster will air The Open, AIG Women’s Open and The R&A’s amateur championships and international matches, including The Amateur, The Women’s Amateur, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.

Sky Sports took over the exclusive broadcasting rights of The Open from the BBC in 2015 which held the rights for the last 59 years.

Coverage of golf games will also be streamed on Sky Sport’s sister streaming brand NOW TV via the Sky Sports Month or Day Pass.

The 2024 contest will be held in Scotland from July 18-21, with the 2025 and 2026 edition to take place in Northern Ireland and Northern England, respectively.

DTVE recently reported elsewhere that the Sky’s UK chief Stephen van Rooyen has recently stepped down after almost two decades at the broadcaster, the group’s CEO Dana Strong will take over his remit.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said: “Our partnership with Sky Sports has enabled us to deliver outstanding live coverage of our championships to fans, as well as providing important revenues which support our broader activities to develop golf around the world and sustain the sport for current and future generations.The live broadcast continues to push boundaries and use technology to give viewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the skill required by the world’s best players and presents the drama and excitement of our championships in a dynamic and entertaining way. We look forward to continuing our work with Sky Sports over the next five years.”

Jonathan Licht, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “We are delighted to be able to extend our relationship with The R&A, as Sky Sports continues to be the home for the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including all the Majors this year.”

Proceeds from the agreement will contribute towards The R&A’s commitment to invest £200m in golf over 10 years and support development of the sport internationally through its participation initiatives, governance activities, advocacy for sustainability and organising inspirational golf championships.