On Site Fan Experience Enhanced for 2015 PGA Championship
Coverage to include Drone Cameras; New Features on Official PGA Championship Website and App, Smart Bluetooth Beacon Technology for Player On-Course Location
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The PGA of America, in collaboration with CBS Sports and Turner Sports, will feature an unprecedented level of production and technical enhancements to bolster fan experience across all multimedia platforms for the 97th PGA Championship.
The PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, features exclusive coverage on TNT (Thursday and Friday, Aug. 13-14, from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET; Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, from 11 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.); and on CBS: (Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.).
New technical features and content offerings will elevate the fan experience at home or on the course in connecting to the excitement of a major championship.
“The PGA Championship continues our goal to deliver the most fan-friendly experience in major championship golf,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “The technology applications are exciting this year, offering a wide spectrum of enhancements for our loyal fans. It all contributes to what we anticipate to be another memorable Championship.”
Television
Production elements on Turner and CBS will include:
- Drone Cameras – For the first time, drone cameras will be used at a PGA Championship for CBS, TNT and PGA Championship LIVE Marquee Group coverage, capturing aerial views of the course, helping to identify landing areas on the fairways and greens and providing live action of select holes lining Lake Michigan.
- SwingVision – The Emmy Award-winning technical innovation, SwingVision, featuring super-slow action to break down players’ swings and demonstrate shots from various parts of the course.
- Protracers – In addition to the use of Protracers, TNT and CBS will use an enhanced Protracer that shows a target line and ideal landing spot for a player’s first shot on the Par 4 and 5 holes.
- GolfTrax – An animated aerial view of all 18 holes which will identify ideal landing areas and hazards. GolfTrax also visually shows the undulations on the greens.
Digital
All Fans, Everywhere
Award-Winning PGA.com & PGA Championship App – The official PGA Championship website and App, managed by Turner Sports, will provide comprehensive digital coverage throughout the week (Aug. 10-16) including:
- PGA Championship LIVE – The Sports Emmy Award winning digital coverage of the PGA Championship featuring live video of Marquee Groups each day, live video of the picturesque Par-3s at Whistling Straits (Holes 3, 7, 12 and 17), direct access to the television broadcast and media center interviews.
- “Shot-by-Shot” – A new feature, available within Marquee Groups coverage, offering a side-by-side graphic illustration tracking every shot the players hit throughout their round in a unique display.
- “Groups on the Course” – A new, alternative leaderboard, providing the option to track live event scoring by the desired group.
- Live Scoring – An enhanced leaderboard, providing fans with real-time scoring and several interactive compan
- PGA Championship TV App Presented by Samsung – A first-of-its kind app, developed for select Samsung Smart TVs, will provide fans access to the live broadcast, live Marquee Groups coverage, live leaderboard, breaking news, video highlights, exclusive 4K video content, a course tour of Whistling Straits and social integration, to create an enhanced TV viewing experience.
- ion features including Social Caddy – an integration of social discussion surrounding each player – and Shot-by-Shot.
- Video Highlights – The best shots of the day and video clips of top players in competition.
- Phone & Tablet Apps – Available via iOS and Android devices, the second screen and companion experience will provide fans with direct access to PGA Championship LIVE content, along with live scoring, video highlights, news updates, photo galleries, player profiles, course tours and more.
- Social Media – The PGA of America and Turner Sports will collaborate to deliver wide-ranging, expanded content experiences across an unprecedented number of social media platforms.
For Fans On Course
- “Binoculars” – A first of its kind feature which helps fans attending the PGA Championship to find players around them and navigate the course faster. The experience is driven by Smart Bluetooth Beacons placed on the standard bearer which follows each group. Fans can then use the “Binoculars” feature in the PGA Championship App to scan their immediate vicinity for Beacons and determine, more quickly, what players they are looking at along the course.
- Minute-by-Minute – For fans following the action from a particular on-course location, this feature – available via the PGA Championship App – will keep them up to speed on all the action with an aggregated real-time news feed capturing the latest event coverage and storylines as they unfold.
- Free PGA Wi-Fi Zones – Fans will be prompted to connect for Free PGA Wi-Fi once on the grounds at Whistling Straits for the best experience possible while consuming all of the expansive digital media content.
- PGA Championship Apps – Fans are encouraged to download the official PGA Championship App prior to entering the championship grounds.
SOURCE: PGA