Sky Sports is to dedicate an entire channel to the 2014 Ryder Cup this Autumn, offering two weeks of non-stop golf which features exclusively live coverage of the biggest matchplay event in the sport.
Sky Sports 4 will be rebranded as Sky Sports Ryder Cup and will show over 330 hours of golf across 14 days, including 36 hours of exclusive live coverage from Gleneagles.
The channel rebrand follows a similar exercise by the sports broadcaster last year when it rebranded Sky Sports 2 as Sky Sports Ashes for England’s home cricket series against Australia.
This year’s Ryder Cup in Scotland is the tenth to be shown exclusively live by Sky Sports, a run which started back in 1995 after the broadcaster took over the rights from the BBC.
Sky’s Ryder Cup-branded channel goes live at 06:00 on Thursday, September 18 and continues until 06:00 on Thursday, October 2, and will be available on TV, online and via mobile and tablet devices with Sky Go.
Non-subscribers can either enjoy seven days access to the Sky Sports Ryder Cup channel and Sky Sports other six channels contract free on TV and a range of devices with NOW TV.
In addition, visitors to Gleneagles for the 2014 Ryder Cup will be able to access the Sky Sports Ryder Cup channel for free whether they are Sky Sports subscribers or not thanks to complimentary WIFI provided by The Ryder Cup and access to Sky Sports provided by Sky Go and NOW TV.
Sky Sports Ryder Cup will be packed with exclusive programming during its two-week run, including preview shows from Sunday to Thursday of Ryder Cup week, the official opening and closing ceremonies, exclusive interview specials with Paul McGinley and Ian Poulter, and a special preview show on September 21 with Butch Harmon, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Tony Jacklin.
The channel will also show the official films from previous Ryder Cups including the ‘Miracle of Medinah,’ a highlights show every evening between 7.00pm and 10.00pm and How The Ryder Cup Was Won from the following Monday.
For live coverage itself, Sky Sports’ lead golf presenter David Livingstone will be joined in the studio by former winning European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and coach to US Ryder Cup stars Butch Harmon.
Sunday’s coverage will also feature the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who played in five Ryder Cup teams and captained the USA twice winning in 1983.
They will provide commentary alongside RTS award-winners Ewen Murray and Bruce Critchley as well as Rob Lee and Mark Roe.
On course reporting will be provided by Howard Clark who made played in six European Ryder teams between 1977 and 1995, Richard Boxall and Tim Barter.
Highlights programming will be presented by Sarah Stirk, who will be joined each day in the studio by Andrew Coltart and Nick Dougherty to review the key moments in the previous’ days matches.
Sky Sports News will provide reports throughout the day each in the build-up from Gleneagles as both teams get their first look at the PGA Centenary Course and captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson fine tune their preparation for the matches.
Coverage on the 24-hour rolling sports news channel throughout the week will be presented by Kirsty Gallacher with reports from James Haddock.
Sky Sports Ryder Cup will form part of an unrivalled autumn of sport on Sky which includes Barclays Premier League football, UEFA Champions League, Autumn International rugby union, Formula 1, ATP tennis and NFL
It also follows the launch of Sky Sports 5, the new home of European football, which launches on August 12.
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “We’re dedicating a whole channel to the biggest event in golf, providing viewers with the complete Ryder Cup experience all in one place.
“There will be nowhere better for sports fans to enjoy the passion, drama and excitement of this incredible event.
“We’ll offer round-the-clock build up, the opening and closing ceremonies and exclusive live coverage of all three days from Gleneagles.
“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with golf and its fitting we mark our tenth Ryder Cup on Sky Sports with an entire channel. We can’t wait.”
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “The dedication shown by Sky Sports in showcasing both The European Tour and The Ryder Cup is matched only by the continued excellence and innovation of their programming, as will be further illustrated by the ‘Sky Sports Ryder Cup’ channel this September.
“We are extremely proud of our relationship with Sky Sports and we thank them for their continued commitment and look forward to working together at Gleneagles and beyond.”
Paul McGinley, European Ryder Cup Captain and Sky Ambassador added: “The Ryder Cup is a truly unique sporting spectacle, full of drama, excitement and passion, all of which has been brought to life for the television viewers over the years by Sky Sports.
“Having worked with the Sky Sports team at major golf events for the past couple of years, I know the professionalism and enthusiasm in place for our sport, all of which will go together to produce a feast of television for golf fans in September.”
Alongside Sky Sports’ exclusive live coverage from Gleneagles, terrestrial highlights will be broadcast every evening throughout the weekend on BBC TV.
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