BMW Championship To Get Bonus Weekend Coverage Due To Rainout

By Jon Show, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

BMW Championship Garners Extra TV Coverage On Saturday Due To Rainout Of First Round

Thursday’s rainout of the first round of the BMW Championship in St. Louis is expected to result in increased media exposure for the title sponsor. On Saturday, the tournament was scheduled to move its tee times and TV window up three hours to accommodate NBC’s contractual obligation to air San Diego State-Notre Dame at 3:30pm ET. An industry source said the PGA Tour and NBC, prior to the rainout, nixed the tournament’s request to keep the traditional tee times and have Golf Channel pick up spillover coverage. With 36 holes now scheduled for Saturday, the tour and NBC agreed to allow Golf Channel to air approximately five hours of coverage starting at 4:00pm, as well as a primetime replay of the day’s action. NBC will still televise its scheduled three-hour block beginning at 12:30pm. The change should mean more exposure for BMW; Golf Channel is expected to draw more viewers for its Saturday windows than it would have for its scheduled coverage on Thursday.