Sky Sports announced it will broadcast the Masters for the eighth consecutive year "after fears it would lose the coverage to rival TV bidders," according to Glen Williams of the London DAILY MAIL. Sky lost coverage of last year's U.S. PGA Championship to the BBC and there were reports coverage of "other Majors could be taken away" from it in '18. But the network "allayed those fears" and confirmed it will broadcast more than 100 tournaments on the Sky Sports Golf channel, including the U.S. Open, The Open, the Ryder Cup and all five women's Majors. The coverage will be led by David Livingstone with analysis from coach Butch Harmon and former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, among others (DAILY MAIL, 1/14). In London, James Corrigan reported there were "genuine fears the greenjackets would elect to go with BT Sport," which, it is understood, was willing to offer more for the season's first major than its rival. That would have been a "big blow" for Sky, "particularly after the launch of a dedicated golf channel last summer" (TELEGRAPH, 1/14).
