Sky Renews Golf Rights Through 2029 After Youth Viewership Booms

Fueled by a surge in young viewers, Sky has extended its exclusive UK and Ireland broadcast rights for the DP World Tour and the Ryder Cup through 2029. The deal keeps golf's biggest team events on its Sky Sports pay-TV channels and NOW streaming service, solidifying a strategy of walling off premium live sports.

• A younger crowd: The renewal was driven by a massive surge in viewership, with Europe’s victory at the 2025 Ryder Cup delivering the most-watched weekend in Sky Sports' history. The event pulled in 5 million viewers, but the real story is the demographic shift: over 40% of viewers for the final day's dramatic session were under the age of 35, a metric that has media companies paying close attention.

• Strategic power play: The deal isn't just a renewal; it's a power play to cement Sky's market dominance as the undisputed "home of golf" in the region. The company has broadcast the Tour for over three decades and now uses its hybrid model of linear TV and flexible streaming to maximize reach.

The agreement locks in the next two Ryder Cups in Ireland (2027) and the US (2029), along with the DP World Tour’s slate of marquee Rolex Series events. The deal is just one piece of Sky's golf empire, as the broadcaster also holds the exclusive UK and Ireland rights for all four men's majors and all five women's majors.