(The Hollywood Reporter) — XM Satellite Radio said March 16 that it will add professional golf to its sports lineup, becoming the official celestial radio partner to the PGA Tour.
XM spokesman David Butler refused to divulge financial terms of the multiyear deal but compared it with those the company has struck with Major League Baseball and NASCAR.
XM paid $650 million for up to 11 years of baseball but reportedly paid little to NASCAR beyond a split of ad revenue.
NASCAR, though, said it will jump ship to XM rival Sirius Satellite Radio beginning in 2007 in a five-year, $107.5 million deal. Sirius also has lined up the National Basketball Assn. and the National Football League. Sirius and XM both stream college basketball and football.
XM said that for golf, it has partnered with programming company PureGolf to help create enough news and talk to fill a channel 24 hours a day with content aimed at the enthusiast.
XM also will stream live coverage of PGA Tour events, which are attended by 10 million Americans annually. XM also will sell and rent its XM2go portable radio at the events.
