Sky's Ryder Cup until 2008.
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While the BBC gears up for its annual coverage of the 2003 US Masters (starting with a preview tomorrow), Sky is celebrating its securing of the rights to televise the Ryder Cup blue riband events through to 2008.
Sky is already contracted to show the next Ryder Cup from Oak Hill in 2004 between Europe and the US, now it has claimed the 2006 event at the K Club near Dublin and the 2008 clash to be played at Valhalla in Kentucky.
The satellite company has also secured the US Open until 2009, the US PGA Championship to 2007, the European Tour (at least34 live events each season) to the end of 2008 and all four World Golf Championship events through to the end of 2008.
That means there will be less golf on the BBC, though the national broadcaster still has the Benson and Hedges International and Volvo PGA in May, The Open in July and the newly boosted HSBC World Matchplay in October.
According to the 'Guardian' newspaper, keen golfer Derek Wyatt, a Labour MP, has introduced several parliamentary bills aimed at improving BBC's sports coverage and has highlighted the need for the BBC to establish its own sports channel.
"There are millions of fans in Britain but the BBC just does not have the space or the capacity to show golf. People like watching sport, it is often the driver to higher viewing figures and it is time that the BBC had its own sports channel.
"I don't understand why the BBC has not set up its own sports channel because it is missing out on securing live sports rights and this is affecting ordinary sports fans. BSkyB has done an excellent job with golf and other sports but it would be nice to ensure that as many people as possible get to see the sport's major events."
Vic Wakeling, the managing director of Sky Sports, revealed that golf is the second-best watched sport on Sky, after football. Over 3,000 hours of coverage are scheduled this year.
"The huge growth in the popularity of the Ryder Cup over the last seven years of Sky's coverage has been one of sport's big success stories. Over the same period the development of Sky's interactive eight-screen coverage has broken new ground for television. We are delighted this will continue."
Meanwhile BBC will have its usual tried and tested formula of commentators in Augusta, led by Peter Alliss, Ken Brown and Alex Hay, with introductions and interviews by Steve Ryder and Dougie Donnelly.
Their programmes start on Wednesday with a review of last year's win by Tiger Woods at 2.20 pm on BBC-2 followed by a 45-minute preview an the same channel at 6.45.
Live and recorded action will be shown on Thursday and Friday, starting at 9pm on BBC-2 (switching to BBC-1 at 10.30) and on BBC-2 on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 8.30 and 7.30 respectively until around midnight.
*What do you think of TV coverage of golf? Should the BBC get more? Is Sky's coverage better? How would Sky improve the BBC's Masters coverage? Tell us on the Forum.
