The good news to emerge from the inability of golf fans to view live CBS Sports’ coverage of the final round of the RBC Heritage on Sunday is that the network is re-examining its policy on the matter.
Sunday’s weather forecast for Hilton Head, S.C., was not favorable, resulting in the PGA Tour moving up tee times to assure the final round was completed without delay. It was, and Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira defeated Si Woo Kim of South Korea in a playoff.
However, CBS chose to air its final-round coverage as scheduled, later in the day, not surprisingly, but it provided no alternative for those viewers interested in watching the tournament live, say, via live-streaming on the Internet.
“We have not streamed live golf outside our telecast window during weather-related tee time adjustments to protect our affiliates’ broadcast exclusivity, but we are re-examining our policy,” CBS Sports said in a statement.
The PGA Tour issued its own statement: “Our network partners have certain exclusive rights that the tour cannot preempt. CBS is re-examining their current policy and we will continue to work together to provide the most comprehensive coverage of our events.”
Here’s hoping a policy change is enacted, and, for their sake if one isn’t, that it’s not Tiger Woods pursuing a victory that is not shown live anywhere.
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