Samsung is a new PGA of America sponsor this year, and core to the company’s activation around the PGA Championship is a new TV app, which brings the digital viewing experience to Samsung smart TVs. Samsung and the PGA called it the first-ever golf app for a live event. The app was developed with Turner Sports, which owns the PGA’s digital rights and also streams “PGA Championship Live” with unique coverage of featured groups and par-3 holes around Valhalla Golf Club, site of this week’s PGA Championship. That digital coverage, like year’s past, will be available across desktop, IOS and Android devices, but this will be the first year it is available on a smart TV. Turner Sports Senior Dir of Business Operations for PGA.com Gary Treater said, "It’s the same great digital content, except now it’s available on the large screen." Samsung’s own SSTV provides exclusive content for Samsung smart TV viewers, and the PGA Championship coverage will now add to that. In addition to the digital content, the TV app will provide what Treater described as sights and sounds from Valhalla, including today’s long-drive contest on the 10th hole, and further coverage and interviews from the driving range. Samsung also has its multiscreen functionality available for PGA content, which enables a user to switch from a phone to the smart TV seamlessly by “casting” the live video stream from a Samsung device to the TV.
