ESPN Reaches Eight-Year Agreement for Women’s British Open

Beginning
in 2010, ESPN will place all four rounds of the Ricoh Women’s British Open live
on ESPN for an eight-year period.The new pact will provide 12 live hours
of Championship play over the four days on ESPN, marking the first time that
all four rounds will be aired live in the United States; same-day Sunday
encore coverage on ABC; broad and comprehensive rights for digital platforms;
and expanded television and digital media rights for ESPN International.

ESPN and
The R&Arecently announced an eight-year deal for expansive coverage
of The Open Championship on ESPN beginning in 2010.

“We are
pleased to offer golf fans unprecedented live coverage of both the Women’s
British Open and the Open Championship on television as well as many other
devices,” says Leah LaPlaca, VP programming and acquisitions for ESPN. “With
this new deal, ESPN will be able to showcase the Women’s British Open like
never before, with live coverage of all four rounds.”

Shona
Malcolm, Chief Executive of the Ladies’ Golf Union, which governs the
Championship said, “The long-term agreement reached with ESPN will greatly
enhance the coverage that the Ricoh Women’s British Open achieves in the United
States,and I am delighted that our
Championship will now receive an almost 100% increase in broadcast time over
the four days.”

Carolyn
Bivens, the Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which
sanctions the Championship said, “The LPGA is extremely pleased with this
new television agreement for the Ricoh Women’s British Open. This broadcast
arrangement for the only women’s Major held outside the United States simply reinforces the
remarkable international growth of women’s golf.”

As in all recent major rights acquisitions, the
wide-ranging agreement will cover multiple businesses around the world through
various ESPN platforms — ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN International, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, and ESPN
Mobile Properties.

ESPN
extended and broadened its rights in Canada
(TSN and RDS), Asia, Israel,
and Latin America territories as well as English language rights in China (ESPN
Sports Star Sports). The deal also includes digital rights in all of its
licensed territories (excluding China),
including live streaming of all events, expansive multiplatform highlight
rights (e.g. online, broadband, and wireless), television and digital VOD, and
mobile TV.