PGA Tour to trial live streams on Twitter and Facebook Live

The PGA Tour has announced two live streaming trials that will begin this week, in a move aimed at making more of the competition available to fans.

More than 14 hours of coverage will be broadcast across Facebook Live and Twitter (in an arrangement similar to how Wimbledon was broadcast) according to a press release. During certain rounds fans will be asked to vote on Twitter for which one they want the streams to follow.

Luis Goicouria, Senior Vice President, Digital Platforms and Media Strategy at the PGA Tour, said:

Taking this new step with Twitter and Facebook Live will provide a free preview of premium PGA Tour Live coverage for our fans around the world, while also providing an understanding of how our social audiences engage with our live programming as we explore deeper relationships with these platforms in the future.

For the first time, the PGA Tour will be trialling an initiative that allows players to stream their own live video and post photos during practice rounds and certain days. Players will only be able to feature this content on the social platforms approved by the tour, however.

Speaking about the trial, PGA Tour Chief of Operations Andy Pazder said:

We feel it is important for the PGA Tour to continually look at ways for our players to showcase their personalities and connect with their fans. If the trial goes well we believe this expanded social media policy for our members will enhance how fans follow their favorite players throughout the season.

The above coverage will add to the 150 hours of planned coverage on PGA Tour Live, the tournament’s own streaming platform.