Golf

PGA agrees live streaming deal with Twitter Inc.

Coverage will include the first 60-90 minutes from the early Thursday and Friday hours

Rory McIlroy and other leading players will figure on the new Twitter coverage of golf after a deal completed with the PGA. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy and other leading players will figure on the new Twitter coverage of golf after a deal completed with the PGA. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Thu Jan 05 2017 - 21:00

The PGA Tour has agreed to make Twitter Inc. the exclusive outlet for more than 70 hours of competition across 31 tournaments throughout the remainder of this season.

Twitter will begin free live streaming at the CareerBuilder Challenge on January 19th. The coverage will typically include the first 60 to 90 minutes from the early Thursday and Friday morning hours. It will include pre-round analysis, interviews and live coverage from the first two holes of each day’s marquee groups.

As part of the deal, the PGA Tour will make more highlight videos and content for Twitter and its live-video subsidiary Periscope, providing content to support even more advertising.

Twitter has deals with a number of sports leagues, including the NFL, whose Thursday night games are aired on the platform. The social network is looking to sports, news and entertainment video to make more money from advertising as growth for its social media ads slows. In most cases, Twitter splits ad revenue with the content provider.

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Twitter has also partnered with Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, in streaming some Bloomberg TV shows and live events.

Neither the PGA Tour nor Twitter disclosed financial terms of the agreement.

The PGA season ends with the Tour Championship in September.