BSkyB Resolves Dispute With Ryder Cup Organisers

BSkyB has settled its dispute with Ryder Cup Limited. Sky’s coverage of the tournament will now be shown as a free event on Sky Box Office, but with three hours a day available on Sky Sports 2, including the scheduled conclusion of the afternoon matches on each day. The agreement comes after a hearing this morning which followed yesterday’s announcement that the golf administrators were to sue the broadcaster.

The events go some way to concluding wranglings between BSkyB and ONdigital over sports rights (see Digital TV Wrangles Continue Over Sky Sports 2). Rival broadcaster ONdigital’s refusal to allow BSkyB access to Champions League football matches led to the retaliatory move by BSkyB to switch coverage of the Ryder Cup from Sky Sports, to which ONdigital viewers have access, to Sky Box Office, which is restricted to Sky subscribers. The golf administrators had claimed that Sky had breached its contract by changing the channel on which the tournament, which begins on 24 September, is broadcast.

Mitchell Platts, spokesperson for the Ryder Cup, said: “We are extremely pleased that our long-term good relationship with Sky enabled our discussions to reach this amicable agreement which ensures that a minimum of nine hours of Sky’s coverage from the Ryder Cup matches will be seen on Sky Sports 2 over the three days of the match with a minimum of three hours each day.”

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