Peacock Joins NBCU’s U.S. Open Golf Coverage

(Image credit: NBCUniversal)

NBCUniversal, looking to differentiate its Peacock streaming service with live sports, said Peacock will be part of its coverage of next month’s U.S. Open golf tournament.

Peacock has already added an NBC Sports channel featuring talk shows and will have an NFL playoff game in the fall as well as Olympic action next year.

During the U.S. Open, Peacock will exclusively stream two hours of live coverage as part of its free tier. Peacock will also have featured groups and featured hole coverage.

“The USGA is excited to be back in the NBCUniversal family, including Golf Channel and NBC’s Peacock platform, in providing extensive coverage of the U.S. Open Championship,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis. “A talented and knowledgeable group of broadcasters, including several USGA champions, and an experienced production team, led by Tommy Roy, will provide in-depth perspective on the championship and help us celebrate the greatness of the U.S. Open and the players who compete in it.”

The USGA in June said it transferred the U.S. media rights for its championship to NBCU, starting this year and continuing through 2026.  Fox ended its relationship with the USGA. NBCU most recently aired the U.S. Open in 2014.

NBCU will have nearly 45 hours of live primary coverage of the U.S. Open on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. 

The final hour of NBC’s coverage on the closing Sunday of the tournament will appear commercial free as part of Rolex’s long-time sponsorship of the USGA.

“It is with great pride that NBC Sports welcomes the return of the U.S. Open to our portfolio in partnership with the USGA, to further elevate their slate of championships,” said Pete Bevacqua, president, NBC Sports Group. “Under a tight timeframe, our world-class production team is prepared to showcase the U.S. Open next month from famed Winged Foot Golf Club, capturing the drama of the world’s best vying for this year’s second major championship.”

For NBC Sports’ David Feherty and Nick Faldo, covering the U.S. Open will place them among a handful of broadcasters who have covered all of golf’s major men’s championships. They will be the only ones to have covered those championships, plus the Players Championship, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Tour Championship and the Olympics.

NBC Sports’ coverage will be led by 29-time Emmy Award-winning producer Tommy Roy – along with NBC Sports’ producer Brandt Packer. 

Peacock will also be a part of NBCU’s live coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open in December. 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.