Will The Back9 Network Bring It?

If you haven’t heard, golf recently got a new game.  And its name is the Back9 Network.

While the rumors and buzz have been circulating around the golf world for the past 20 months or so, the true “coming out party” took place at this winter’s PGA Merchandise show as the new network undauntedly pitched their booth right next to incumbent competitor, the Golf Channel.

Anna Rawson looks to attract some new eyeballs

Unlike the Golf Channel, however, Back9 is positioned as a lifestyle and entertainment network, looking well beyond tournament golf.  With Clint Eastwood as creative board chairman, the network plans to deliver original content that ranges from a magazine show hosted by model and LPGA player, Anna Rawson, to Extreme Golf with celebrities and  a Bachelor-style dating series.

At the core of the network’s strategy is a commitment to grow the game of golf by showing the less intimidating, diverse, and more accessible sides of the game and its accompanying lifestyle.  For example, comedian Jackie Flynn will host a show where he brings a public course spirit to some of the most exclusive courses in the world.

Despite golf’s global growth – particularly in Asia – and its new faces like Rickie Fowler, the game still struggles with its exclusive image and the fierce competition for attention in the sports and entertainment category.  Additionally, the baby boomer population, on which so much of the industry depends, isn’t going to be around forever.  Industry players, particularly the equipment manufacturers, hope that Back9 can address these issues to maintain a long-term customer base.

But launching a cable network isn’t easy and the risks are many. Just ask Oprah.  Cable industry consolidation has made it harder for newcomers to compete and even someone with Oprah’s loyal consumer base failed to accurately understand the fickle, consumer side of the equation. 

The challenge for Back9 will be to provide engaging content for a non-niche, mass audience that is strapped for time and has multiple viewing options on multiple platforms.  Sure, the golf industry likes the idea, as does any advocate of growing the game (like me).  It’s easy for us to drink the Kool-aid. But what about everyone else?  Does the research show sufficient demand for Back9’s content?  Can they be the agent of change that the industry desperately needs and pave the way for growth?  We will surely see.

Morning Drive, Morning Miss

Last December, when I heard the Golf Channel was set to air its first live morning show, I was ecstatic.  Out here in L.A., one can handle only so much NPR and Colin Cowherd in the morning, so this was a true blessing in my life. Even during my time in Chicago, I was thirsty for some commuter-friendly golf content to complement the morning shuffle.

Did GC drop the ball on this one?

I was familiar with Erik Kuselias from ESPN and had heard good things about Gary Williams from the PGATour Network. And while the content would focus primarily on golf, it promised to feature news and commentary about stories from a wide range of subjects. Right up my alley, for sure. Well, not entirely so.

While they set up the studio to look like a radio show, it’s strangely only distributed on television. In taking something out of the world-wide leader’s playbook (they clearly copied the production of ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning),  did they forget it was a radio show before it was simulcast on television?   In addition to no radio stream, Morning Drive has no podcast or smart phone app. I’ve reached out to show personnel to see if there was something in the works and…..Bubkis.

The show does air at 6 AM out west, so I am able to get about 15 minutes of content from the other room while I’m performing my morning routine. I’m sure the advertisers love that.

Perhaps there’s not a big enough market to justify a national syndication for the show, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be distributed through some sort of smart phone technology (app, podcast, etc). How have they missed this? Granted, I haven’t looked at their ratings so maybe the numbers look good and the show’s doing enough for their loyal advertisers to justify their ad spends.

So if the Golf Channel’s target markets for Morning Drive are golf bloggers (and others that work from home) and retirees sitting on their couch at 7AM, well done, fellas. You’ve nailed it. But if the Golf Channel wants to reach anyone else – you know, the majority of golf fans that are on-the-go – they might want to rethink how they’re distributing a show like Morning Drive.

Golf In 3-D

Sports fans are staying home more than ever. According to Nielsen, ratings for major sporting events have been strong this year, including the record set for the most-watched Super Bowl ever. Events such as The NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup, and World Cup have all drawn record TV audiences this year as both the slumping economy and HDTVs have given fans reason to stay at home. Even if the economy improves, however, expect this trend to continue. Why battle the prices and the crowds when you can sit peacefully and conveniently on your couch, cocktail in hand, alongside friends and family? According to a Nielsen study done in April, an estimated 52 percent of American homes had HDTVs and were actively using them. That compares with 33 percent a year earlier and 17 percent in 2008. And as John Rowady pointed out in a recent MediaPost article, hardcore sports fans are already hungry for the next level – 3D.

"3D is all about improving the consumer experience at home. And like all things in sports, advancements in technology are welcome only if they look and feel authentic. While there's a lot of room to grow, there's no doubt that 3D makes the experience of watching an event more realistic."

And of all sports, golf and its hardcore fans have arguably the most to gain from 3-D technology. Given the “touring” nature of the sport, most golf fans catch the action at home. And so the sport relies heavily on its network broadcasts to bring the tour to its fans. Alongside HD, networks have recently invested in new technologies like swingvision and shot-tracking technology to keep fans engaged. And it’s been great. But 3-D is positioned to revolutionize how we experience golf. The importance of understanding a distance or a slope can’t be emphasized enough, and the extra depth afforded by 3-D imagery takes this understanding right to your la-z-boy. A course’s natural, rolling landscapes - filled with trees, sand traps and lakes positioned at various depths - are visually conducive to a 3-D broadcast. In addition to medicinal marijuana patients, this experience should be highly appreciated by golf fans and wildly entertaining to non/prospective fans.

We’re obviously not there yet, but it’s only a matter of time until the technology is perfected and the cost to advertise in 3-D becomes worth it. A recent WallStreet Journal article suggested that the cost to advertize in 3-D is 30-40% more than a traditional tv ad. But if the growth of HDTVs is any indicator, it shouldn’t take long for manufacturers and consumers to catch up. If they aren't already, executives at CBS, NBC, the Golf Channel and the Back 9 Network should be all over this.