Tonight sees the debut of GOLF Films’ newest documentary Hogan, a two-part series that debuts at 9p on GOLF Channel and telling the life and legacy of Ben Hogan, who remains as, arguably, one of the greatest sports comeback stories of all-time. Coming off the U.S Open, Cynopsis Sports caught up with Mike McCarley, President, Golf for NBC Sports Group, to talk about the always fascinating year in golf, the bio pic and what lies ahead.
McCarley on 2019: The media business is changing faster than ever and we’re seeing the benefits of our strategic approach to franchise development. There is a crystal-clear delineation between Live and On-Demand content and we’re pursuing both on parallel paths. This year, we’ve learned a lot as the pro golf calendar has improved with six tentpole championships in six straight months, starting with The Players now in March. So far, it’s a success and the biggest change is still to come with the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs moving to August, away from September’s football competition. Live programming has been a focus for years, and GOLF Channel has doubled its live programming and is now one of the most live networks on TV with 42% of the annual schedule live, up from 18% since joining NBC Sports.
On Hogan: Internally we talk a lot about that clear delineation between Live and On-Demand content. So, while we’re building our live event portfolio for linear, we’ve also doubled-down production on high-quality, evergreen franchises. Golf Instruction, Feherty and GOLF Films are all examples of evergreen content that serve as the bulk of our On-Demand library. GOLF Films builds upon NBC Sports’ storytelling heritage and this week’s premiere of Hogan is the first of five GOLF Films projects we’ve announced for 2019 – their largest slate ever. Hogan is a two-part biopic that uncovers the mystique of Ben Hogan – a story so incredible it was made into a major studio picture and then adapted for radio in the 1950s. Fans and critics who’ve screened it have loved it. So yes, we’re expanding the GOLF Films documentary franchise, and we have more projects now in production, several in development and deals working with outside talent and producers attached.
On July’s Open Championship: What may surprise fans is the spectacular landscape of this year’s host course, Royal Portrush. The area around Belfast is a spectacular corner of the world. We’ve developed a special appreciation for the people and the area — and not just because Game of Thrones was shot there. We visit there a lot because our GOLFNOW business has an 80-employee office in Belfast that serves as our International HQ for that business. So, as we set up the stories of The Open and help tell the story of the complicated political history of the region, we’ll rely on people like David Feherty, a native of Northern Ireland, and Sky Sports producing GOLF Films’ Road to Royal Portrush. What won’t be a surprise is the comprehensive coverage from our live tournament group — we’re live on GOLF Channel and NBC from the first tee shot on Thursday through the final putt on Sunday, the most coverage for any golf tournament anywhere in the world. Following The Open, GOLF Films’ Tiger Woods: Chasing History debuts, chronicling Tiger’s pursuit of Sam Snead’s PGA TOUR record 82 wins.
On brands: As we build our golf lifestyle portfolio, we’re creating new ways for brands to engage with golf fans. A good example is our partnership with Bill Murray and his brothers with their Murray Bros. clothing line that sits alongside nearly 40 other clothing brands in our Shop with GOLF e-commerce and content platform. Our ad sales team also has been a leader in partnering with advertisers through our ‘Playing Through’ commercial model, which provides continuous coverage during split-screen ad breaks. Besides being a favorite because fans can see more of the action, research shows better engagement, recall and affinity for brands in those breaks.
On expansion: Our business has expanded well beyond a linear TV network. We now serve golfers through a variety of services and businesses. Most people are surprised to learn that we have more employees dedicated to our golf tech and lifestyle businesses than traditional media. We see ourselves as sitting at the intersection of golf and technology with GOLFNOW, similar to an OpenTable for golf; GOLFADVISOR, which functions like a Yelp of golf; GOLF Business Solutions, which provides technology to more than 7,000 golf courses worldwide; and GOLFPASS, which combines many of these business lines into a single, digital membership for golfers to Play, Learn, Shop, Travel and Watch.
