SportBusiness.com

NEW TV DEAL FOR PGA TOUR

Golf's PGA Tour has struck a new six-year television deal that includes only two major networks and gives The Golf Channel exclusive cable rights for 15 years.

The two networks are CBS Sports and NBC Sports and the financial terms were not disclosed.

The Tour has also revamped its schedule to create a season-long points race that reaches a championship climax, designed to get the top stars playing together more often.

Commissioner Tim Finchem did admit that prize money, which has increased at a bullish rate, will flatten over the next six years.

When Tiger Woods joined the PGA Tour in 1996 and became an instant star, the Tour was able to negotiate TV deals that sent the total purse from $96million to $255million in eight years.

ABC Sports walked away from negotiations late last month, and cable partner ESPN followed.

Another change will see The Players Championship - the unofficial "fifth major" - move from the last weekend in March to the second week in May.

The Sawgrass event has been fitted in between the US Masters and the US Open, in a bid to boost its profile.