TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND: It’s a given that almost all of golf’s major championships are now broadcast in HD. But don’t expect this week’s British Open to be.
The reason, according to Golf.com, is that host broadcaster BBC is only broadcasting the event in standard definition, what blogger Michael Walker Jr. describes as “the 2009 equivalent of black-and-white broadcast.”
ABC and TNT, the two U.S. networks carrying the British Open, don’t have a choice as they are required to carry BBC’s international feed.
Walker says the British Open is especially conducive to HD because of its “photogenic course,” and the fact that so few Americans will ever see the course in person.
The BBC’s contract with the Royal & Ancient--where the event is being held--is due to expire in 2011. “Next contract, the R&A needs to make sure it gets the best broadcast possible,” Walker said, “which means dropping the BBC.” -- from TV Technology
