PGA TOUR, SkratchTV, and GoPro Announce Relationship Focused on Technology, Content and New Viewing Experiences for Golf Fans
Live-streaming components to debut at Waste Management Phoenix Open with innovative digital broadcast from 16th hole
Live-streaming components to debut at Waste Management Phoenix Open with innovative digital broadcast from 16th hole
SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRO), the PGA TOUR, and SkratchTV today announced a global relationship that will deliver never-before-seen perspectives and episodic video content to golf fans around the world. The collaboration debuts this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open with broadcast integrations using GoPro cameras in ways that have never been utilized before in live golf coverage.
"We are excited to partner with GoPro to bring new and engaging perspectives to PGA TOUR fans. GoPro's award-winning content production will serve as an excellent platform to create compelling narratives about the PGA TOUR and its players," said Rick Anderson, Executive Vice President of Global Media. "We're intrigued to 'GoPro' the game of golf, opening up our sport to new audiences and giving fans some new ways to enjoy the game."
The PGA TOUR, SkratchTV, and GoPro are kicking things off this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Wednesday, February 3, where, for the first time ever, the PGA TOUR will stream the Pro-Am from the world-famous, stadium-like 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course. This new Pro-Am show will be hosted by Erik Anders Lang from SkratchTV, creator and host of a new digital series called "Adventures In Golf." PGA TOUR Entertainment will utilize GoPro's HEROCast technology and production expertise to capture and broadcast unique coverage of the Pro-Am, including on-course interviews leveraging live GoPro cameras on talent, player-worn perspectives, and in-stadium fan-cams.
"This partnership with the PGA TOUR and SkratchTV will enable our team to capture unique views of the game and to tell the stories from the TOUR, and about golf lifestyle, in a whole new way," said Todd Ballard, vice president of global sports entertainment marketing for GoPro. "The Waste Management Phoenix Open will serve as a starting point to collect content for our upcoming, season-long initiatives, and it will be a great opportunity to showcase our integrated broadcast technology."
As part of the relationship, GoPro will produce episodic videos that bring fans inside-the-ropes at PGA TOUR events, giving them unique access to the events and athletes, including recently signed GoPro athlete and PGA TOUR member, Justin Thomas.
GoPro will also use their spherical capture technology to truly immerse golf fans in a virtual reality experience from some of the most iconic locations in the game. Both spherical and episodic content will be distributed on the GoPro Channel, the GoPro App, YouTube and GoPro's social media channels.
This all-digital coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open runs from Wednesday, February 3rd, through Sunday, February 7th, and will stream live at www.pgatourlive.com, www.skratchtv.com, or via the PGA TOUR LIVE apps on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Android. For more information on this partnership, visit GoPro's blog, The Inside Line.
About GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRO)
GoPro, Inc. is transforming the way people visually capture and share their lives. What began as an idea to help athletes self-document themselves engaged in their sport, GoPro has become a standard for how people capture themselves engaged in their interests, whatever they may be. From extreme to mainstream, professional to consumer, GoPro enables the world to capture and share its passion in the form of immersive and engaging content.
For more information, visit www.gopro.com or connect with GoPro on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
GOPRO® and HERO® are trademarks or registered trademarks of GoPro Inc. in the United States and other countries.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 30 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2014, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $140.5 million for local and national charitable organizations, after surpassing $2 billion in all-time charitable contributions early in the year.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
About SkratchTV
SkratchTV is the network that brings golf fans the content they want, when they want it and on every device they own. It's short attention span golf in a voice that echoes that of its users. SkratchTV was built by Sportsrocket, Inc, in partnership with the PGA TOUR, to reach the mobile-savvy, always on, rapid-fire content consumer that is the new generation of golf fans. Sportsrocket is the digital media company founded by Brian Bedol (who also founded the properties that would become ESPN Classic and CBS Sports Network). Sportsrocket is the leader in multi-platform sports properties, having built Kick TV in conjunction with Major League Soccer, the immensely popular action sports site Network A and, most recently – Serie A football club AS Roma's digital offering. For more info visit http://sportsrocket.com/.
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SOURCE GoPro, Inc.
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