While the big news this week has centered on the Bowl Championship Series potentially heading to ESPN, another championship sporting event is now officially an all cable affair.
All four rounds of golf’s British Open will move to ESPN as part of an eight-year deal that goes into effect in 2010. This marks the first time ever that a major golf tournament will air entirely on cable.
ESPN will air 34 hours of live coverage, with six hours of taped highlights reserved for ABC — presumably in the form of three hour telecasts on the Saturday and Sunday of the tournament.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Currently, the British Open airs on ABC and TNT; Turner Sports pulled itself out of the running for British Open rights earlier this week.
