Free-to-air CBS and cable broadcaster USA Networks will honour their contracts to screen the Masters next April in the face of strong protestations from the National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO) which is up in arms over the continued refusal of the tournament's host venue, the Augusta National Golf Club, to admit women into its membership.
The women's group had targeted CBS and USA Networks, pressurising the broadcasters to black-out coverage of the Masters until the Augusta National Club allowed women to play on its courses. However, both networks have made formal announcements that they will continue to broadcast the event.
The action undertaken by the women's group has already taken its toll on the Masters with the tournament organisers forced to forego its commercial sponsorships deals with Citigroup, IBM and Coca-Cola in 2003 for fear of the brands being subject to potential boycotts by the NCWO.
Said Coca-Cola spokesman Ben Deutsch: "We had discussions with Augusta National officials and they recently informed us of their decision to conduct the tournament without sponsors next year."
Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson confirmed that he had cancelled the one-year sponsorship contracts because the NCWO had launched a corporate campaign against the club. He also added, however, that the club "would not be bullied, threatened or intimidated" into reversing its all-male membership traditions.
CBS and USA Networks have reaffirmed their commitment to broadcasting the US Masters golf tournament despite the organisers coming under increasing pressure from a militant women's group.
