Extending its commitment towards providing top-notch content to viewers, ABP Network’s digital arm, ABP Live, has entered a first of its kind partnership with Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) to be the digital media partners for its various golf tournaments to be held in 2021.
It has become the first Hindi news network to cover a golf tour in the country and broadcast it live on its digital platform – ABP Live, and its associated social media platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network, said, “While golf is rising as a sport in India, we at ABP believe that Golf should be made accessible to the masses of the country and ABP with its widespread reach and popularity strives to make this possible.”
The partnership launched in October with the coverage of the first leg of the five-city Tata Steel PGTI, MP Cup 2021 held in Delhi. The event was inaugurated by the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi who, during the presentation ceremony, remarked that golf is perceived to be a sport of the elite, but it is played by people from all sections of society and even provides economical support for many.
The Minister said it is great that ABP is streaming the tournament live and popularising the sport with the masses. She presented the award and a cash prize of Rs. 11, 31,550 to Viraj Madappa, who won the Delhi leg of the Tata Steel PGTI, MP Cup 2021, the company said.
The next leg of the tour in Jaipur was also taken live on ABP and the four-day coverage got more than two million views on ABP FB Live. The upcoming legs of this tournament would witness over 300 professional golf players, including Olympians and past winners, vie for a chance to lift the Rs. 15 million title.
The three remaining legs of the tournament, to be held in Chandigarh, Kolkata and Jamshedpur, will be hosted live as part of this partnership.
Kapil Dev, Director with the PGTI and a veteran promoter of golf, also expressed his excitement at this collaboration aimed at strengthening the sport and its popularity.
Golf enthusiasts in India and all over the world would be able to watch and enjoy every drive and putt of the tournament, as it happens, across the digital platforms of ABP Live.
“Over the last few years, we have been aggressively looking towards ramping up our offerings in the sports segment like Kabbadi and Olympics, while not remaining restricted to cricket. This initiative of broadcasting golf is in line with the larger goal. It’s a prestigious moment for the network to associate with PGTI and facilitate a pan-Indian viewership for the tournament,” Pandey added.