FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 28th, 2016

NBC SPORTS PROVIDING MORE THAN 170 HOURS OF COMPREHENSIVE RYDER CUP COVERAGE, INCLUDING LIVE COVERAGE FROM THE NERVE-WRACKING FIRST TEE SHOT THROUGH THE TENSION-RIDDLED FINAL PUTT

Live Coverage Enhancements Include “Playing Through” Commercial Breaks with Split-Screen Continuing Coverage; Slate of High-Quality Golf Channel News Features, 1st Tee Experience Digital Show Capturing Ryder Cup Crowd

Golf Channel Partners with FanBeat Gaming App on Ryder Cup Trivia Game, Played in Real-Time during Matches for Prizes

How the Ryder Cup Became Must-See Golf

ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2016) – NBC Sports Group’s all-encompassing coverage of the 2016 Ryder Cup includes more than 170 hours of programming, including more than 25 hours of live competition coverage Friday-Sunday, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Golf Channel will televise Day 1 matches on Friday, while NBC will carry the final two days of the competition, Saturday-Sunday, from Hazeltine National Golf Club outside of Minneapolis.

Utilizing a signature from NBC Sports’ coverage of The Open and both the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions this year, NBC Sports will provide coverage of the Ryder Cup from the opening tee shot of the first foursomes match on Friday morning through the clinching putt in Sunday’s singles matches.

Friday, Sept. 30          8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET    2016 Ryder Cup – Day 1                    Golf Channel
Saturday, Oct. 1          9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET         2016 Ryder Cup – Day 2                    NBC
Sunday, Oct. 2            Noon-6 p.m. ET         2016 Ryder Cup – Final Day              NBC

NBC Sports Implementing “Playing Through” Enhanced Commercial Breaks
In an effort to elevate the viewing experience for fans tuning in to the Ryder Cup on Golf Channel and NBC, NBC Sports Group is partnering with several national advertisers to present approximately 40% of the commercial breaks utilizing its “Playing Through” enhancement, where fans won’t miss a second of the action. Similar to the model made popular in auto racing telecasts, NBC Sports’ “Playing Through” coverage at the Ryder Cup will employ a split-screen model for a select number of national commercial breaks. This enhanced break will display both the advertisement with audio, as well as provide a continuous feed of the Ryder Cup action, and will primarily be used when all matches are in progress during each session.

FanBeat & Golf Channel Partner on Interactive Ryder Cup Game
Golf Channel has partnered with FanBeat – a real-time sports gaming app – to elevate the social conversation for fans during the Ryder Cup. Through the Golf Channel Mobile App, users can download FanBeat to compete for prizes in real-time as they’re watching the matches play out on Golf Channel and NBC. The signup for the game is currently being featured within the Golf Channel Mobile App, and fans will have an opportunity to win prizes, including golf clubs and authentic 2016 Ryder Cup apparel being worn by players during their matches, and more.

The game will feature sessions of questions, consisting of a combination of Ryder Cup trivia and predictive questions based on the matches as they are being played. Practice questions will be featured early in the week, leading up to the first session of matches on Friday morning, Sept. 30. Once matches get underway on Friday, the following windows will be utilized for the game, mirroring the Ryder Cup in real-time:

  • Session 1 – Friday (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET)
  • Session 2 – Friday (3-6 p.m. ET)
  • Session 3 – Saturday (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET)
  • Session 4 – Saturday (3-6 p.m. ET)
  • Session 5 – Sunday (2-5 p.m. ET)

 

Golf Channel High-Quality Feature Stories:

In addition to continuing to provide the network’s Remembering Arnie coverage and a selection of Arnold Palmer legacy features, Golf Channel’s Ryder Cup news coverage will include a slate of high-quality features, including:

  • How a Bond Between Jacklin & Schofield Helped Flip the Ryder Cup Narrative – Entering the 1983 Ryder Cup, the Europeans were on a streak of having lost the event 12 consecutive times. Ken Schofield – executive director of the European Tour at the time – had a hunch that now World Golf Hall-of-Famer Tony Jacklin would make for a good captain and have the potential to shift the momentum. After receiving the invitation, Jacklin proceeded to captain the Europeans in the next four Ryder Cups, winning the latter three, and more importantly restoring a sense of competitiveness to the biennial competition. Schofield reflects on his initial decision to approach Jacklin, and on the weight the decision still carries, more than 30 years later.
  • The Enormity of Earning the Ryder Cup-Clinching Point – A look at what it’s like to be the player to the win the clinching point at the Ryder Cup. Over the course of Ryder Cup history, several players have felt the pressure and magnitude of the moment, knowing they could be the hero or the one letting their team down. Sam Torrance, Justin Leonard, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer each reflect on their shining moment that helped their team claim the Ryder Cup.
  • What’s in a Team? – While professional golf operates as an individual sport 99% of the time, when two groups of 12 individuals are asked to compete as a member of a team, egos have the potential to get in the way. Some of the most lauded coaches in their respective profession weigh in on how best they’ve dealt with managing egos of some of the world’s most elite competitors, including: Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, John Thompson, Tony LaRussa and Jim Courier.
  • Love III’s Agonizing Account of Being on the Losing Side of ‘Miracle at Medinah’ – 2016 United States Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III recounts the tormenting Sunday at Medinah in 2012, where in his first stint as Ryder Cup captain his team surrendered a 10-6 lead going into singles play to ultimately lose to the Europeans. Love III shares his lessons learned, and looks ahead to his chance for redemption at Hazeltine.
  • Weighing the Evolution of the Task Force – After coming away empty handed for the sixth time in the last seven editions of the Ryder Cup, the PGA of America in October 2014 announced the creation of a Ryder Cup Task Force to try and combat the United States’ recent losing ways. The result and potential for success stemming from the creation of the Task Force remain an uncertainty, though the merits behind the decision to create one in the first place are examined.

 

1st Tee Experience Digital Show to Highlight Crowd Atmosphere at Ryder Cup
A dedicated 1st Tee Experience show will give fans a special look at the first tee amphitheater area at beginning Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET leading up to the first foursomes match. The live, digital streaming show will air simultaneously across NBC Sports and Golf Channel Digital platforms, on RyderCup.com, the suite of Ryder Cup apps, and on Sky Sports’ mobile apps. Golf Channel’s Gary Williams will serve as the host, helping to showcase the electric atmosphere, highlight player exchanges and reactions, and conduct interviews with special guests. Produced in collaboration between the PGA of America, Turner Sports and NBC Sports, the show will utilize multi-camera Pixellot technology – being used for the first time during an international golf event – to stitch together four unmanned camera angles to deliver the program’s definitive video coverage.

1st Tee Experience Live Stream Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 30                      8 a.m. & 1 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 1                     8 a.m. & 1 p.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 2                        11:30 a.m. ET

Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup
Originating from a dedicated set positioned between the 1st tee and 18th green, Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup also will include a second ancillary set on-site to be utilized for interviews throughout the week. Sunday’s Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup Final Day coverage will showcase players preparing for their singles matches in the practice area, and as they make their way to the 1st tee. Coverage on Golf Channel will continue from Noon-2 p.m. ET, while live coverage of the matches airs simultaneously on NBC.

Rich Lerner, Ryan Burr and Kelly Tilghman will anchor the network’s coverage, while Brandel Chamblee, Frank Nobilo, David Duval, Mark Rolfing, Jim Gallagher Jr., Paul McGinley and Colin Montgomerie will serve as analysts. Todd Lewis and Steve Burkowski will provide reports and conduct player interviews, while Tim Rosaforte, Rex Hoggard, Ken Schofield and John Feinstein will offer insider perspective throughout the week.

2016 Ryder Cup Broadcast Team
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico will host all three days of coverage, as well as the trophy presentation on Sunday. Dan Hicks and Terry Gannon will handle play-by-play duties, while Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo (Friday morning) and David Feherty (Saturday morning), who will be making his Ryder Cup broadcast debut after competing in the event as a member of the European team in 1991, will rotate as lead analyst in the 18th tower. Peter Jacobsen, Gary Koch, Curt Byrum and Tom Abbott will serve as tower analysts, while Feherty, Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing, Notah Begay and Jerry Foltz will walk inside the ropes as on-course reporters. Steve Sands will conduct player interviews, and Jimmy Roberts will provide essays.

Morning Drive
Morning Drive will kick off each day of Ryder Cup week with the latest news and storylines surrounding the competition. The show will feature a dedicated set on-site at Hazeltine, which will provide a backdrop for live reports from Gary Williams, Cara Robinson, John Cook and Matt Ginella, who will be joined by special guests throughout the week.

International Ryder Cup Programming
Golf Channel will produce live international Ryder Cup news programming in both Japanese and Mandarin. These productions will complement the international distribution of Golf Central’s Live From the Ryder Cup, which is distributed to markets within Golf Channel’s worldwide footprint in more than 80 countries, 200 million households and 11 languages.

Upcoming 2016 Ryder Cup Programming Air Times (all times ET):

Thursday, Sept. 29
7-9 a.m.                       Morning Drive                                                            Golf Channel
9 a.m.-5 p.m.               Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
5-8 p.m.                       Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
(Including the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony)

Friday, Sept. 30
6-8:30 a.m.                  Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.          2016 Ryder Cup – Day 1                                            Golf Channel
7-9 p.m.                       Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel

Saturday, Oct. 1
6-9 a.m.                       Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
9 a.m.-7 p.m.               2016 Ryder Cup – Day 2                                            NBC
7-9 p.m.                       Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel

Sunday, Oct. 2
7-9 a.m.                       Morning Drive                                                            Golf Channel
9 a.m.-Noon                Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
Noon-6 p.m.                2016 Ryder Cup – Final Day                                      NBC
Noon-2 p.m.                Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel
(Players on range & walking to 1st tee)
6-9 p.m.                       Golf Central Live From the Ryder Cup                     Golf Channel

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, deliver unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra, both powered by Playmaker Media, and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.

-NBC Sports Group-