With new broadcast rights agreements for the Tour expected to be worked out in the next month or so, Fox could join the three other major networks in getting a piece of the action. We had discussions with the PGA Tour a few years ago and decided not to bid. ABC, NBC and CBS, along with cable channels, have separate deals with the PGA Tour that were negotiated in 1997 and run from 1999-02. The new deals are expected to be for as much as a few hundred million dollars more, thanks in large part to Woods enormous popularity. His mere presence can raise a tournament s TV ratings by 50 to 100 percent.
Golf is certainly due for a reasonable increase.
Its ratings remain strong when other sports ratings are flat or down and it has the most charismatic athlete in the world, said Neal Pilson, a consultant who used to be president of CBS Sports. Weigh those factors against a very soft economy and a questionable bidding war. If Fox were to be a serious contender for the rights to certain tournaments, it would change the dynamic of the negotiations, Pilson said. Woods schedule probably is atop the negotiating concerns as the networks deal with the Tour. Heading into next week s Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Woods will have played in fewer than half of the 20 Tour events this year.