Media rights for the Mickelson-Woods match were negotiated by CAA, Excel Sports and Lagardere SportsGETTY IMAGES
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have confirmed their 18-hole winner-take-all match will take place over Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas, and Turner has "secured the pay-per-view rights" for the event, according to Cynthia Littleton of VARIETY. Plans for the event are a "sign of how AT&T hopes to leverage its expanded media reach now that it has the former Time Warner assets in the fold." "The Match" will feature Woods and Mickelson "vying to win" a $9M prize. The PPV coverage "will be produced" through Turner’s Bleacher Report. HBO, TNT and BR will "carry a raft of related programming leading up to the event," to be hosted by MGM Resorts Int'l at Shadow Creek Golf Course. The telecast "will be distributed" via the B/R Live OTT and will be "offered to other on-demand platforms outside of the AT&T universe." Turner’s international arm "will handle distribution of the PPV event outside the U.S." Turner Sports will "handle production of the event and its Turner Ignite Sports unit will handle media and sponsorship sales." Pricing for the PPV has "not yet been disclosed." Media rights for “The Match” were "negotiated by CAA Sports, Excel Sports, and Lagardere Sports" (VARIETY.com, 8/22). GOLF.com's Dylan Dethier noted “The Match” will be "available live on television, through streaming services and then later through produced shows and highlight packages." HBO Sports and its 24/7 reality franchise "will document the leadup to the match." BR and its “House of Highlights” will "offer comprehensive highlights and behind-the-scenes content." TNT will also "televise select portions of the showdown in the weeks following the live competition" (GOLF.com, 8/22).
MUST-SEE TV? CNBC's Courtney Reagan said Woods and Mickelson are "taking a page out of boxing's playbook" with the PPV match ("Worldwide Exchange," CNBC, 8/23). ABC's T.J. Holmes said PPV is "supposed to be reserved for boxing, for UFC, WWE but now, PGA?" ("GMA," ABC, 8/23). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel writes, "Pay-per-view? Seriously, pay-per-view?" The biggest moments in golf are "consumed for free;" it has "been that way forever." If CBS is "good enough for Sunday at Augusta, then how is this concoction worth a nickel?" This "feels like a bad sports management thesis come to life" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/23). WFAN's Mike Francesa tweeted, "The question is: can golf (even Tiger vs Phil) sell a pay-per-view event?" NBC's Chuck Todd: "If it’s just to watch a normal golf broadcast of a skins game, no thanks, but if it’s open mic, uncensored with Phil and Tiger avail the entire time on air, that might convince me to spend, $10?" Buffalo-based WGR-AM's Jeremy White: "Tiger v. Phil day after Thanksgiving? Sounds cool! I'm in! Oh... it's... Pay-per-view? Let me know how it goes." Golfer and Fox Sports analyst Steve Flesch: "Tiger vs Phil is PPV? Is Don King the promoter too? #eyeroll" (TWITTER.com, 8/23).
AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER: Mickelson said that the format "will be traditional match play," although he added that there "will be 'in-play' competitions between the two, like closest to the pin or longest drive." GOLFCHANNEL.com's Rex Hoggard noted the two players, as well as their caddies, will also be "wearing microphones throughout the match." Mickelson said, "It allows us to be a little bit more real, if you will. We think there will be some pretty good interest, but we’re also trying to present it in a way that you don’t get to see with normal TV." He added, “The idea is not just to have this great match, but to have this interactive experience so fans can see something they’ve never seen in televised golf before.” Hoggard noted event organizers are "trying to decide on the size of the crowd that will be allowed to be on the course." They are also "looking at allowing the event to be played into the early evening," ending around 8:00 or 9:00pm PT which would "mean the last few holes would likely be played under lights" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 8/22). Mickelson said, "It's an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don't have much going on in the world of golf. It's a way to show a side you don't normally see by having us miked up to hear some of the interaction between us" (ESPN.com, 8/22).
OPENING PANDORA'S BOX? SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes the match is a "huge deal not only for Bleacher Report, but every sports media company out there because they are dying to know what sports fans will pay extra for." In reality, the match is a "useless exhibition." But the "danger here ... is that this will open the floodgates for sports media outlets to eventually experiment with putting good things on pay-per-view." Traina: "I’m not saying you’re going to see an NFL playoff game or the NBA Draft or a college football playoff game on pay-per-view next year ... but if you don’t think the leagues and networks ... have that idea in the back of their heads for down the road, you’re not paying attention" (SI.com, 8/23).
In our latest podcast, SBD's Abe Madkour and John Ourand talk about how this is AT&T's first strategic move in sports since it merged with Time Warner and what it could signal for the future.
