It was the headline that stopped the golf world in its tracks: “Golf Digest sold to Discovery, Inc., joins GOLFTV to create global editorial powerhouse.”
The media company that brings you Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, Science Channel and the Oprah Winfrey Network – showcasing content that inspires, informs and entertains – is now steering our mothership in the US.
Discovery’s foray into golf shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. This is, after all, the company that splashed $2 billion to acquire the international rights for the PGA Tour in 220 markets, added the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour, and launched GOLFTV, a streaming service on all devices outside the United States that will soon become your one-stop shop for all things televised golf.
Discovery also signed an exclusive content partnership with Tiger Woods to produce deep-dive instruction and interviews in video before and after his rounds on tour, then added as a contributor Francesco Molinari, the Open champion and 10-time winner from Italy. Could a
big-name Aussie be next?
Suffice to say, Discovery’s acquisition of the Golf Digest brand only strengthens Australian Golf Digest’s position as the No.1 golf media company Down Under. With Australia one of its key target areas, Discovery’s takeover is set to bolster the market-leading content already offered by Australian Golf Digest under its publishing licence with Golf Digest, including print, digital and via its popular online video platform Australian Golf Digest TV.
Fittingly, this deal also reunites us with Tiger Woods ahead of his return to Melbourne later this year for the 2019 Presidents Cup, the most anticipated golf event to hit our shores in a long time. Given the reaction to his 2019 Masters victory, which saw our website reach a record 183,000 unique visitors in the month of April alone, we’re really excited about that, and how we can help create GOLFTV content with a quintessential ‘Aussie’ flavour.
“The Discovery–Golf Digest deal is brilliant for golf, particularly in Australia and New Zealand,” says Nick Cutler, managing director of CMMA Digital & Print Pty Ltd, publishers of Australian Golf Digest and New Zealand Golf Digest. “The investment in the broadcast alone (GOLFTV) across the range of tours will simply mean golfers will be able to see more golf than ever before. Add the Golf Digest assets, and it is a clear win for the golf consumer in our region. For our commercial partners, it will open up a wider range of commercial assets across multiple pillars to a golf-playing audience that’s significantly larger and more engaged than anything else we have ever seen in our market.”
So what’s it mean to you, our loyal reader? For one thing, your print magazine will continue. The content on all our delivery systems – from AustralianGolfDigest.com.au to AGD TV and our social media channels – will be enhanced and improved with increased investment. You’ll get more for your money: more journalism, great reporting and writing; more access to the game’s top players and teachers; and better user experiences as we improve our digital technology and take the game to you on a more personal level. Plus, once again, we bring you Tiger.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Discovery’s acquisition of Golf Digest,” Woods says. “It gives Discovery and GOLFTV an amazing platform for me to tell my story to the fans and make my partnership with Discovery even stronger. The power of Golf Digest combined with Discovery’s vision of powering people’s passions is great for the game of golf.”
We have published the magazine continuously for 585 issues (spanning 48 years!) making us not only the oldest golf media brand in Australia but also one of the oldest media brands in the country. It’s something we are extremely proud of.
Never has there been a more exciting time to be involved in the sport. But we want you to enjoy the ride with us. So if you have ideas to grow the game worldwide, e-mail me your thoughts at [email protected].
Brad Clifton
Editor-in-Chief
@bradcliffo