Despite a serious bid from Netflix, it appears the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will stay on the same group of TV networks, according to reporting done by John Ourand of Puck.
The U.S. Golf Association's contract with NBCUniversal runs through Dec. 31, 2026, but the two sides are working to re-sign for a longer term, which would keep the two major championships (among others) on NBC, USA Network and the Golf Channel.
Back in 2020, the USGA moved its media rights from Fox Sports to NBCUniversal, a move that ended a 12-year deal with Fox Sports worth about $1 billion.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the USGA to move the dates of the U.S. Open from June to September, Fox Sports struggled to find the broadcast hours needed for the championship, USGA officials noted, given their additional commitments to the NFL, MLB and college football. Talks that began looking into how Fox Sports and NBC/Golf Channel might work together ultimately ended in NBC taking over entirely.
But with the contract due to expire at the end of next year, and NBC Universal taking a different look, talks are on to extend the deal with the same partners.
According to a story from CNBC back in May, Comcast spun off most of its cable network stations into a new company named Versant.
This would mark Versant's first major sports rights deal and it's expected to net the USGA roughly the same as the original Fox deal did in 2013.
This time around, Netflix had bid for the rights, after ESPN, CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery inquired, but the NBCUniversal extension appears to be the most likely scenario.