Golf Channel will start using the Olympic rings during this week's broadcast of the Presidents Cup to promote coverage of the '16 Rio Games, network Senior VP/Marketing Regina O’Brien said this morning. Viewers will see an animated logo bug featuring the rings every time coverage returns from commercials, augmenting the limited promotional spots that have already aired across the NBC Sports portfolio, including Golf Channel. The channel’s coverage of the Presidents Cup begins tonight at 10:00pm ET live from Incheon, South Korea. “We’re looking for international events, because one of the things we know is that international events really pull people in who are not just fans of a particular sport, but also fans of that whole patriotism we rally around when we’re watching international sports,” O’Brien said. “So we’re using that as a reminder to folks that golf is back in the Olympics.” Golf returns to the Olympics next year for the first time since 1904, and NBCUniversal is taking full advantage of owning the U.S. rights and a golf-exclusive cable network. Golf Channel will air extensive coverage of press conferences, practice-range action and player interviews during the Olympics. NBC Sports Group Exec VP/Sales & Sales Marketing Seth Winter said golf is one reason NBC will eclipse $1B in ad sales. The logo bug will return during some WGC events and then again during programming around the '16 majors, O’Brien said. Away from commercial breaks, the rings will go away. O'Brien: "We’re looking at it as a tease, we don’t want it necessarily to become wallpaper if it’s too far out.”
