NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open will look just a bit different this year as the network tries to take advantage of the late hours of Friday’s second round.
According to a report by Josh Carpenter in Sports Business Journal, “the NBC broadcast network will carry coverage through its conclusion on Friday” rather than shifting the final hour of coverage to Peacock, as has been done since the network retook rights for USGA events in 2020. As scheduled, NBC’s second-round coverage on Friday will run from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET.
“We always peak at the very end of a broadcast for golf,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella told Sports Business Journal back when the USGA deal was struck. “That time between 7-8 [p.m.] is a great time for golf.”
As a result of the move, many star golfers will find themselves playing into the late hours on Friday. Traditionally, the later second-round tee times have been reserved for low-wattage players and qualifiers, while stars would finish earlier in the day while coverage remained on television.
Peacock will still exclusively air late-day coverage for the first round on Thursday, with the streamer slotted to broadcast the tournament between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. USA Network will cover the entire first round up until that point, while also contributing some lead-in coverage for the weekend rounds.
Tee times and groupings have yet to be announced, but it is a sensible decision to stick popular players into windows that are traditionally more widely viewed. The move could provide some good drama on Friday night if certain big-name players are fighting to make the cut late into the evening.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.