Discovery, PGA TOUR Look to Grow Viewership in Japan With New Jupiter Golf Network Deal

Discovery, the PGA Tour, and Jupiter Golf Network, a subsidiary of Jupiter Telecommunications, have announced an agreement to grow viewership of golf across Japan. The new partnership will see live PGA Tour coverage featured on Golf Network, as well as the ambition to develop a broader digital ecosystem leveraging GolfTV’s invigorated digital content to engage even more golf fans.

Starting in January 2019, the agreement will allow golf fans in Japan to enjoy extensive live action on the Golf Network linear channel and simulcast coverage via its Golf Network Plus App. Live coverage will include the PGA Tour’s biggest tournaments, such as THE PLAYERS Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs, and the Presidents Cup.

GolfTV, the global live and on-demand video streaming service revealed last month by Discovery and the Tour, will also be available to fans from January 2019 and will include extensive live coverage of the PGA Tour.

Serving golf fans with an enhanced experience to both entertain and inform, GolfTV will present more than 2,000 hours of live action each year as well as a wide range of premium content on-demand. With a portfolio of content set to continue to grow, it will feature many of the sport’s most exciting moments, superstar players, and tournaments on every screen and device.

Jupiter Golf Network is the first broadcast partner to be announced since the unveiling of the pioneering strategic alliance between Discovery and the PGA Tour in June 2018. As part of the 12-year alliance, Discovery is managing the PGA Tour’s international multi-platform rights, including linear TV rights, and already executing on a robust distribution and broadcast-partner strategy for the portfolio.

In addition to this agreement, J:COM, a broadcast partner in Japan for more than 20 years, and Discovery will continue to collaborate to bring premium content to viewers.

“We are delighted to expand Discovery’s long-term partnership with the J:COM group, deepening our relationship, and securing a highly valued partner for the roll-out of our golf proposition,” says Alex Kaplan, President and General Manager, Discovery Golf. “This is a real win for the passionate and growing community of golf fans in Japan, promising to deliver even more of the sport’s biggest moments all-year-round and made available however fans want to watch: TV, online, or mobile.

“Building on world-class localized Japanese coverage on Golf Network and GolfTV, together with Jupiter Golf Network we have ambitions to establish a more comprehensive digital partnership, best utilizing our platforms and content to further grow viewership and broaden engagement around golf throughout the country.”

“J:COM is a long-time partner of Discovery in Japan and this partnership with its subsidiary Jupiter Golf Network is a great model for media and multi-platform rights,” says David Macdonald, General Manager of Discovery Japan. “The addition of the PGA Tour rights and GOLFTV into our Japan portfolio is a fantastic first step to the next phase of our business in Japan, and we are happy to be sharing that journey with J:COM.”

Under the agreement, Discovery has sublicensed to Jupiter Golf Network exclusive pay-TV rights to the PGA Tour, as well as the ability to simulcast this programming via a digital service live and on-demand for a select time. As part of the broader distribution strategy in Japan, Discovery and the PGA Tour plan to confirm incremental broadcast distribution partnerships, including select free-to-air coverage, in due course.