Jackson Reid
CBS Sports has the rights to broadcast golf tournaments, and sometimes this preempts their regular programming. In one instance, CBS aired the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament instead of WANE 15's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts on a Friday evening. On another occasion, CBS played the final round of the RBC Heritage on tape delay, which led to the network re-examining its policy. CBS has also aired a special report on Sunday Morning about women in golf, featuring the Clearview Golf Course in East Canton, Ohio, the first golf course in the U.S. designed, built, owned, and operated by an African American.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for preemption | Severe weather expected in Hilton Head Island, S.C. |
| Tournament | RBC Heritage |
| Winner | Satoshi Kodaira |
| Preemption policy | CBS Sports stated that it is "re-examining our policy" |
| Preemption of newscasts | WANE 15’s 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts were preempted on Friday, January 28, 2022 |
| Type of content aired instead | Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament |
| CBS show related to golf | A CBS News Sunday Morning episode featured a story on women's golf |
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What You'll Learn
CBS Sports re-examining its policy on tape-delayed golf broadcasts
CBS Sports is re-examining its policy on tape-delayed golf broadcasts and not offering streaming options to follow the action in real-time. The issue came to a head during the final round of the RBC Heritage tournament, where CBS Sports held the broadcasting rights. Due to severe weather forecasts in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, tee times were adjusted, and the tournament finished earlier than scheduled. However, CBS Sports chose to air its coverage as planned, resulting in a tape delay. This decision left viewers with no option to watch the tournament live.
In a statement, CBS Sports acknowledged the issue and expressed their commitment to protecting their affiliates' broadcast exclusivity: "We have not streamed live golf outside our telecast window during weather-related tee time adjustments to protect our affiliates' broadcast exclusivity, but we are re-examining our policy." The PGA Tour also commented on the matter, highlighting the exclusive rights of their network partners, which the tour cannot preempt.
Tape-delayed broadcasts and coverage gaps during golf tournaments have long been a source of frustration for golf fans. The issue is particularly prominent during final rounds when coverage often shifts from one network to another, resulting in brief interruptions or extended delays. In this specific case, fans had limited options for watching live golf, including online streaming on cbssports.com or pgatour.com, but even these alternatives did not include coverage of the leading players.
While CBS Sports has traditionally prioritized protecting their affiliates' exclusivity, the increasing demand for live sports coverage and the availability of alternative streaming options have likely contributed to their decision to re-examine their policy. This re-evaluation is a positive step towards enhancing the viewing experience for golf enthusiasts and ensuring that they can follow the action as it happens, regardless of scheduling changes due to unforeseen circumstances like severe weather conditions.
It is worth noting that golf, with its lengthy final-round broadcasts and shifting schedules due to weather delays or tee time adjustments, presents unique broadcasting challenges. However, CBS Sports' willingness to re-examine their policies demonstrates their commitment to adapting to the needs and expectations of modern sports fans.
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The impact of weather on broadcasting schedules
For example, CBS Sports faced a situation where severe weather was expected in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, during the final round of the RBC Heritage tournament. To ensure the tournament could be completed before the weather disrupted play, tee times were adjusted and brought forward. As a result, the tournament concluded before the CBS telecast began at 3 p.m. ET, and the network opted to air the event on tape delay.
While tape-delayed broadcasts can be a solution to maintaining broadcasting schedules, they are often unpopular with viewers, particularly avid golf fans, who prefer to watch events live and in real-time. The unpredictability of weather can lead to last-minute changes, and networks must make quick decisions to balance their programming commitments and provide exclusive content to viewers.
In another instance, CBS's coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament preempted the WANE 15 newscasts scheduled for 5 and 6 p.m. on a Friday evening. The regular newscasts were interrupted to accommodate the golf broadcast, resuming later with the Nightcast at 11 p.m.
To mitigate the impact of weather on broadcasting schedules, networks may need to re-evaluate their policies and find a balance between adhering to exclusive broadcasting rights and providing live coverage of events, even when weather-related adjustments are made to tournament schedules.
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PGA Tour's exclusive rights
On 6 June 2023, the PGA Tour, PGA European Tour, and LIV Golf announced that they would merge their commercial rights into a single, for-profit entity. The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which funded LIV Golf, will be the exclusive investor in the entity and have the right of first refusal for future investments. The PGA Tour will appoint the majority of the board members and have its commissioner, Jay Monahan, act as CEO. This agreement ends all pending litigation between the organisations.
The PGA Tour has extensive coverage outside the United States. Sky Sports was the main broadcaster in the UK for several years until 2006. Setanta Sports then won exclusive rights in the UK and Ireland for six years from 2007 for a reported cost of £103 million. Eurosport picked up the television rights for the remainder of the 2009 season after Setanta's UK branch went into administration. Sky Sports later regained the TV rights with an eight-year deal from 2010 to 2017.
In South Korea, SBS has been the exclusive broadcaster since the mid-1990s and extended its contract in 2009 through 2019. In June 2018, Eurosport's parent company, Discovery, Inc., acquired exclusive international media rights to the PGA Tour outside the US for $2 billion. This deal includes the development of an international PGA Tour subscription service, which was unveiled under the brand GolfTV.
In the US, NBC had the rights to broadcast marquee events such as The Players Championship and the biennial Presidents Cup event. NBC also had the rights to broadcast the final three FedEx Cup playoff tournaments exclusively until 2022. The PGA Tour operates a streaming service called PGA Tour Live, which carries early-round coverage of events preceding Golf Channel television coverage.
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CBS's telecast of the RBC Heritage tournament
CBS played a crucial role in broadcasting the tournament's final round, which was initially scheduled to air from 3 pm to 6 pm ET. However, due to severe weather forecasts in Hilton Head Island, the tee times were adjusted, and CBS opted to telecast the event on tape delay. This decision sparked some controversy, with CBS Sports acknowledging the disappointment of golf enthusiasts who prefer live coverage. As a result, CBS Sports re-evaluated its policy, considering the importance of live streaming for viewers.
The RBC Heritage tournament holds significant value, with the Heritage Classic Foundation raising over $50 million for charitable initiatives through the event. The tournament has become a platform for players to showcase their skills and pursue victory. The 2025 edition witnessed intense competition, with Thomas seeking his first win in three years and Novak aiming for a breakthrough victory. The tournament also featured notable players such as Maverick McNealy, Brian Harman, and Tommy Fleetwood, who added to the excitement of the final round.
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CBS preempting WANE 15 newscasts for golf
On January 28, 2022, WANE 15's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts were preempted by CBS's coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament. The WANE 15 channel is a television station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that is affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station began broadcasting in 1954 as WINT and was originally owned by Tri-State Television. In 1956, the Indiana Broadcasting Company purchased the station and changed its call letters to WANE-TV.
WANE-TV has a history of producing newscasts and sports programs. In 2012, the station transitioned its newscasts to high definition, becoming the second station in the Fort Wayne market to make the upgrade. The station currently broadcasts 24 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, including four hours each weekday and two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, WANE 15 produces a sports highlight program called "The Highlight Zone," which airs on Friday nights.
While golf fans often express frustration over tape-delayed broadcasts of PGA Tour events, CBS's decision to preempt the WANE 15 newscasts for live golf coverage may have been a response to such concerns. The preemption allowed viewers to watch the golf tournament live, rather than on tape delay, ensuring they could follow the action in real time.
It is important to note that CBS has considered the impact of preempting regular programming for live sports coverage. In a statement, CBS Sports acknowledged that they were "re-examining their policy" after facing criticism for airing a PGA Tour event on tape delay. The statement highlighted the network's commitment to balancing exclusive broadcasting rights with the interests of their affiliates and viewers.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, CBS preempted the WANE 15 newscasts on a Friday evening to air the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament.
CBS holds the rights to the tournament and tee times were pushed up due to severe weather expected in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Tape-delayed broadcasts can be frustrating for golf fans, and CBS Sports has acknowledged that it is "re-examining" this policy.
CBS has stated that it does not stream live golf outside its telecast window during weather-related tee time adjustments to protect affiliates' broadcast exclusivity.
