FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
NBC SPORTS GROUP PRIMED FOR 80 HOURS OF COMBINED NEWS AND TOURNAMENT COVERAGE OF THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FROM TPC SAWGRASS
Golf Channel and NBC Combine for 22 Hours of Live Tournament Coverage
Live From THE PLAYERS and Morning Drive Surround Tournament Play with 57 Hours of News and Talk
World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Airs Monday, May 6, at 10 p.m. ET
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 2, 2013) – NBC Sports Group has a combined 80 hours of live tournament and news coverage on tap for THE PLAYERS Championship from golf’s greatest stadium, TPC Sawgrass, Monday-Sunday, May 6-12, which surpasses 2012 as the largest collection of live coverage hours in the history of the tournament.
What perennially has proved to be one of the strongest fields of players for any event on the tournament schedule each year, THE PLAYERS Championship will receive a combined 22 live hours of tournament coverage on both Golf Channel and NBC, as well as 57 live programming hours headlined by Live From THE PLAYERS and Morning Drive on Golf Channel, featuring news reports, player news conferences, talk, inside analysis, competition highlights and player interviews. On Monday at 5 p.m. ET, a Green Carpet Special will air prior to the 2013 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, as well as a two-hour special at 10 p.m. ET honoring this year’s inductees, including Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Willie Park Jr, Ken Schofield and Ken Venturi. Golf Channel also will feature debate and discussion that is the signature of Grey Goose 19th Hole, live Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET from a special set at TPC Sawgrass.
THE PLAYERS Championship Broadcast Team: Host Dan Hicks and lead analyst Johnny Miller will anchor Golf Channel on NBC weekend coverage, as well as select hours of early round coverage on Golf Channel, rotating with Terry Gannon and Nick Faldo. On the golf course will be Gary Koch (16 & 17) and Peter Jacobsen (14) in tower positions, and Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Notah Begay walking with the players. Steve Sands will handle player interviews and Kelly Tilghman will serve as tournament telecast host.
Compelling Camera Angles: NBC Sports Group will cover the par-3, 17th hole and its famous island green with a total of 11 high-definition cameras, including two “periscope cams” and a microscopic lens embedded in the lip of the small bunker fronting the green. The periscope cams are situated in the small lake surrounding the green, peeking just above the water’s surface and providing a 360-degree, green-high view of the hole.
Making its encore will be the “Actioncam,” a cable-suspended camera system that will fly over the lake between the 16th and 17th greens. A “Hyper-mo” camera also will be utilized, which is a super-slow-motion camera that shoots at 63,000 frames per second and able to show the compression of a golf ball as it is being hit.
NBC Sports Group’s production elements also will include a camera operator lifted by a crane 150 feet into the air above the tree line, showing unique shots of the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. Another camera operator is ferried to a small island near the 17th green where he is marooned for approximately eight hours, capturing player reactions from this unique angle.
On-Site News Coverage: Golf Channel’s Live From THE PLAYERS will air 41 live hours of news coverage from THE PLAYERS Championship throughout the week, highlighted by the network’s main stage showcasing a dramatic overlook of the iconic 17th Hole at TPC Sawgrass. Golf Channel reporters will be on the course and on the practice range to bring viewers the latest news as it happens.
World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Coverage: Golf Channel’s Live From THE PLAYERS will air a Green Carpet Special, Monday at 5 p.m. ET, which will preview the newest inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Later in the evening, the network will feature the inductees’ speeches during a two-hour induction ceremony special airing at 10 p.m. ET.
Player News Conferences: Live From THE PLAYERS will televise player pre-tournament news conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon from Noon-5 p.m. ET from THE PLAYERS Championship media center at TPC Sawgrass.
Live From on NBC: Golf Channel will prepare NBC viewers for the weekend action with Live From THE PLAYERS preview shows, scheduled to air on NBC Saturday and Sunday from 1:30-2 p.m. ET.
Frank Nobilo “Tee to Green” Features – Golf Channel analyst Frank Nobilo scouts the holes and the changes made at TPC Sawgrass in a series of tee to green features airing throughout the week during Live From THE PLAYERS.
Digital Coverage: GolfChannel.com will expand editorial content surrounding THE PLAYERS Championship with daily columns and blogs, as well as live chats with GolfChannel.com senior writer Jason Sobel and popular contributor John Hawkins (Thursday and Friday, 1-7 pm. ET; Saturday and Sunday, 2-7 p.m. ET).
Social media: GolfChannel.com also features the Golf Channel Social Lounge, a recently launched social center that aggregates all social media posts related to a specific event in one location on the site. The Social Lounge currently is aggregating all content on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mentioning @THE PLAYERSChamp.
Golf Live Extra: NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship will be streamed live via TV Everywhere across Golf Channel and NBC’s digital platforms on desktop, mobile and tablets. Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Comcast Xfinity TV, DISH, Mediacom, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and a number of regional providers are currently offering this service to their customers. Golf Live Extra is available online at GolfChannel.com.
Golf Channel PR Now on Twitter: Golf Channel’s Communications will be launching @GolfChannelPR at THE PLAYERS Championship. Follow @GolfChannelPR for the latest news announcements and notes from Golf Channel Communications.
Live From THE PLAYERS Programming (all times ET)
| Monday, May 6 | |
| Morning Drive | 7-9 a.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS “Green Carpet Special” | 5-7 p.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 7-8 p.m. |
| World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | 10 p.m.-Midnight |
| Tuesday, May 7 | |
| Morning Drive | 7-9:30 a.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | Noon-5 p.m. (news conferences) |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 7-9 p.m. |
| Wednesday, May 8 | |
| Morning Drive | 7-9:30 a.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | Noon-5 p.m. (news conferences) |
| Grey Goose 19th Hole | 6-7 p.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 7-9 p.m. |
| Thursday and Friday, May 9-10 | |
| Morning Drive | 7-9 a.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. |
| THE PLAYERS Championship (Golf Channel) | 1-7 p.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 7-9 p.m. |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | 9 p.m.-12 a.m. (Re-Air) |
| Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12 | |
| Morning Drive | 7-9 a.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS (NBC) | 1:30-2 p.m. |
| THE PLAYERS (NBC) | 2-7 p.m. |
| Live From THE PLAYERS | 7-9 p.m. |
