GolfChannel.com is getting a "much-needed overhaul, boosting its editorial and video content to provide fans a much more comprehensive user experience -- including Facebook and Twitter tie-ins," according to Anthony Crupi of ADWEEK. The site's redesign "marks the first major digital rejiggering since the NBC Sports Group was restructured." While the site is still in beta, NBC Sports is "prepping an in-house marketing push to draw golfers to the improved site." Teasers for it will "begin airing on the cable network and by the end of the month, visitors to NBCSports.com’s golf page will automatically be redirected to GolfChannel.com." The site now logs "more than 1 million unique visitors each month." The "fully realized GolfChannel.com will be up and running" before the British Open tees off on July 14. GolfChannel.com Senior Dir of Business & Strategy Mike Lowe said, “By midsummer, we’ll have 6,000 minutes of clips from 250 shows ready for viewing online." Crupi noted one of the "last orders of business will be to integrate the tee-time booking service GolfNow.com with the Golf Channel site." An online "concierge for avid golfers, GolfNow in 2010 generated approximately $156 million in online revenues for its partner courses" (ADWEEK.com, 6/23).
BIRDIE ON NO. 1: Golf Channel announced Thursday that Monday's premiere of "Feherty" was the network's most-watched series premiere in its 16-year history with 569,000 viewers. The audience topped the 527,000 viewers for the premiere of "The Haney Project" with Charles Barkley back in '09 (THE DAILY). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth writes based on the show's premiere episode, "We want more. We need more" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 6/24). In Charlotte, Ron Green Jr. reported David Feherty's "goal is to get Tiger Woods to sit down for an extended interview," and so far, the golf analyst "has been unsuccessful." Feherty said, "I think he would be a lot happier if he got a bunch of (stuff) off his chest and was asked the right questions and given the right forum in which to answer them. He doesn't trust so many people." He added, "I would ask if he confused fun with happiness, thinking they're the same thing. I'm an addict and that's what I did. I thought fun and happiness were the same thing. They're not" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 6/21).
