"Value" Dominates "Underpinning" 16-9 In PGA Tour Matchups, Jargon Edition

/

I tracked the jargon-usage from the press conference to announce a new TV deal--starring Tim Finchem, with cameos by Sean McManus and Mark Lazarus--and Value never had to go the whip, leading gate to wire despite a nice stretch run move by 99-1 longshot Underpinning. Value you paid $2.80 to win.

As for the big news of the PGA Tour's new 9-year deal extending network coverage through 2021, here are a few random observations before we get to some of the reviews:

- Left unsaid in the coverage I've seen: maintaining the same amount of network coverage as the current deal and the ramifications of that. No matter how great ESPN may be, events still have a chance to get more eyeballs on one of the big-three and it's impressive that the PGA Tour team was able to retain so many hours of network coverage.

- Finchem said after his press conference that the deal was inked yesterday, which means it was a quick turnaround to the announcement. This might explain why...

- CNBC, USA Today** and the New York Times all ran wire stories, either caught off guard by the timing or perhaps making a statement about the lack of news value in the announcement, even though all three regularly cover sports media stories.

- There are no major or even minor changes to a schedule that has conflicting dates with football at the beginning and end of the season. I'm surprised they are locking in this deal for such a long period of time without making a few tweaks to the existing structure.

- The emphasis on digital streaming/simulcasting is exciting because it is a fan-driven initiative at this point and has the potential to take golf viewing to another level if carried out properly. An iffy proposition right now because...

- The impression left from Thursday's press conference was one of few details. It sounds like a lot more related to digital presentations has to be ironed out, ranging from what exactly will be "simulcast" when NBC is televising while Golf Channel is offering bonus coverage, how on-site patrons will be able to access video without WiFi, and who will be producing and presenting bonus coverage. But again, this appears to be a fan first, profit-second initiative.

- The word "profitable" to describe the new deal stood out in the comments of CBS's McManus and NBC's Lazarus. Both said it so blatantly that it was hard not to wonder if current deal was profitable. Throw in the length of the new deal along with Finchem's guarded comments about purse growth, and there is a sense the networks did very well for themselves.

The reviews?

Ron Sirak says the "bottom line is that the PGA Tour does not have to worry about its television coverage for a decade."

And while the days of tour purses doubling during the term of a TV deal are likely gone, the players do have a guarantee that purses will increase at least slightly every year, putting aside recession-fueled fears that prize money might actually go down. All in all, this appears to be a win for everyone involved.

Steve Elling explains what is going to happen with online digital streaming.

Finchem called the cutting-edge, multiplatform deal "a robust array" of media spectrums that will leave fans with a dizzying assortment of portals to scratch their golfing itch. Simply put, once the nuances are ironed out, the tour product is going to be available everywhere and anywhere.

Technology is changing at breakneck speed, and finally, so is tour policy. Until a few months ago, the tour banned fans from bringing cellphones into events. For an outfit that fought those devices for more than a decade, this is a huge reversal of philosophy.

Finchem said research suggests that by 2015, an estimated 88 million people will have portable tablets, making them capable of viewing streaming video. Projections call for online portals to generate between 3 and 10 percent of tour viewership over the next few years. For the two networks forking over major dinero, that means reaching a broader, more financially well-heeled audience.

Farrell Evans for ESPN.com:

Still, the announcement of a new deal is a boon to the sport, especially at a time when its No. 1 product, Tiger Woods, continues to struggle on the golf course, and the U.S. economy deals with high unemployment and debt. Whether golf can attract more eyes through digital media is still questionable, especially since the general golf demographic tends to be older than in other sports.

Perhaps this will be the revolution to add new and young viewers.

Either way, the golf business has proven to be resilient and capable of surviving tough times.
The good thing now is that it's doing so by staying in touch with the changing times, both technologically and economically.

From an unbylined AP story on the dreaded Tiger topic:

And that's without any assurance that Woods — golf's biggest television draw — could get back to the top of his game.

"In our business plan, we did not assume any golfer was going to be as dominant as Tiger had been in the past," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said in a telephone interview. "Tiger played in a relatively small number of PGA Tour events, anyway. It would be great if he came back. It would be great if we were dominant again. But we were not assuming that in our numbers."

Alex Miceli says players were informed via email Thursday and at least one is pleased.

"Just the stability of it all is wonderful," Jim Furyk said.

Finchem told Golfweek that he expects prize money will continue to increase, albeit modestly in comparison with the surge of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"I think we're going to be very comfortable with our growth," he said. "It's not just a question of generating more dollars and just growing purses. We also have to invest in some areas to support the long‑term value of the Tour to all the stakeholders."