Sky Sports extends broadcast deal with the Ladies European Tour

Sky Sports and the Ladies European Tour agree extension to broadcast partnership, taking it into a landmark 20th year.

Sky Sports has extended its partnership with the Ladies European Tour (LET) until the end of 2019. The agreement, which takes the partnership into its 20th year, will mean Sky Sports is the home of the Ladies European Tour for a further two years.

The deal will also mean that Sky Sports will broadcast the 2019 Solheim Cup from Gleneagles, having broadcast every Solheim Cup since 1996. The contest is guaranteed to be a dramatic one as Team Europe hope to make amends for their 2017 loss to the Americans in Des Moines.

Mark Lichtenhein, Chairman of the Ladies European Tour, said: “We are thrilled to continue working with Sky to keep the spotlight on women’s golf over the coming months, especially as we build towards next year’s exciting Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. This announcement underlines their position as the home of women’s golf and demonstrates a clear commitment to women in sport.”

Sky already broadcasts all five women’s golf Majors and the new agreement will add coverage of every LET tournament, either live or via highlights programmes. The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open will be the first event broadcast on Sky Sports as part of the new deal. Taking place from 26-29 July, the competition is one of the Tour’s premier events and viewers can look forward to a strong British contingent competing for the title including, Charley Hull, Mel Reid, Georgia Hall and Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew.

Jason Wessely, Head of Sky Sports Golf, commented: “The depth of women’s sport on Sky is stronger than ever and our partnership with the Ladies European Tour is a key part of that. Last year we saw a huge increase in viewing of women’s golf and Sky Sports Golf is committed to shining the spotlight on the women’s game. Our broadcast schedule is packed with some great tournaments and with so many young, female golfers coming through and with such fierce competition at the top of the game - hopefully the public can really get behind women’s golf.”

The announcement comes ahead of this weekend’s GolfSixes event which will see some of Europe’s most talented female golfers competing as part of a field which includes men’s, women’s and mixed teams for the first time. Teeing off on Saturday in St Albans, Sky Sports will provide live coverage of the event from midday on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Mix (available to all Sky customers).

Women’s golf forms part of a great line-up of women’s sport on Sky Sports, which also includes year-round England international netball, cricket and rugby fixtures, Vitality Superleague netball including July’s Grand Final and the return of the cricket Kia Super League, which begins on 22 July. Customers can stay up to date with the latest news from all aspects of women in sport with Sky Sports News’ weekly Sportswomen show, the UK’s only show dedicated to women in sport, every Tuesday at 11.30am.

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