Pascal, 33, was in charge of the acquisition, scheduling and development for CNBC Sports across Europe and Asia while at the Parallel Media Group. He also handled sales and marketing for the Asian PGA Tour and the Tour de las Americas.
Said Tim Leisure, PGA Tour vice president for international television: "Thierry's established relationships in the international golf and television marketplace will enhance our ability to navigate the global marketplace and grow the PGA Tour brand."
Meanwhile, the LPGA has announced its 2004 television schedule for the first 25 events of the season, with 23 televised tournaments featuring more than 175 first-run hours of event coverage.
Said LPGA commissioner Ty M Votaw: “Our strong and diverse 2004 television schedule continues a trend of excellence and immense global reach for the LPGA Tour.
“LPGA events will once again be made available to millions of LPGA fans across the globe, bringing the talents of our celebrity athletes to record numbers of viewers.”
The LPGA has reported significant growth in TV exposure over the past two seasons.
It says network household viewership rose 26 percent from 2001 to 2003, and viewership for the coveted 25-54 demographic jumped 42 percent over the same period. For cable television viewership, the LPGA saw a 19-percent increase in overall viewership from 2001-03, with viewership in the 25-54
demographic increasing by 37 percent.
Added Votaw: “We have seen considerable growth in television viewership since the first year of our strategic plan, which is on target with our plan’s goal of increasing our viewership numbers annually.”
Broadcast networks ABC, NBC and CBS will all feature LPGA events in 2004, with the majority of tournaments appearing on ESPN, ESPN2 and The Golf Channel, as well as TNT.
