LOS ANGELES – Mike Whan is a man of his word.
During last year’s U.S. Open, social media was abuzz at the intrusion of too many commercial interruptions into the telecast, which was split between NBC, USA Network and Peacock. Whan read the sea of complaints and promised that the U.S. Golf Association and NBC Sports would fix it for this year. Lo and behold, they worked together to create a 30 percent reduction in commercials breaks during weekend coverage at the 123rd U.S. Open, which amounts to 19 fewer commercials compared to last year.
“This is one of the unfortunate outcomes of your CEO being on Twitter. I’m sure most of my staff would like me to give up on my social media presence. I am sure my wife would like me to give up, she always says, ‘Why do you have to read it in the morning that you’re an idiot and then go to work?’ I don’t know, somehow it grounds you,” said Whan, the USGA’s CEO.
The social media backlash from viewers who found NBC’s broadcast across multiple networks bordering on unwatchable due to the endless ad breaks reached a crescendo on Saturday last year, but didn’t fall on deaf ears. Whan heard and acted swiftly.
Fans watch the big screen during a practice round of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. (Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
“To me last year when you’re here all day and you’re in meetings all day and everything else, sometimes you don’t really understand the fan experience until midnight and reading social media,” he explained. “I shouldn’t admit that because I can only imagine the amount of crazies that will come out this week. But I was reading in Boston last year and I thought there was an overwhelming amount of comments about commercial interruptions. First off, I probably shouldn’t engage because engaging in social media is like sticking your face first into the fan. That’s exactly what I did.”
Whan tweeted from his personal account, “I’m on it! We have the best sports production team in the world here with our partner NBC Sports (Olympics, Super Bowl, etc.) and if the amount of interruptions are problematic, we will work with our partner to do better.”
The next day, Whan and NBC agreed to cut the commercial interruptions on Sunday.
“I think if you run a major like we do, we have a responsibility to make everything feel better. I don’t think that’s going to stop the Twitter conversation, but I’m really proud of what’s happened not just this year but what happened in 24 hours last year,” Whan said.
When asked if USGA is taking a reduced rights fee to offset the lost commercial time, Whan said, “No. Sorry to NBC.”
This year, NBC Sports will present the most expansive TV coverage in USGA history, with more than 200 hours across its network. It may offset the lost commercial time with new inventory such as Deloitte’s sponsorship of Bunker Cam and charging a premium for prime-time ads at a West Coast venue that wasn’t available last year when the championship was held in Boston. A NBC spokesperson noted that 40 percent of all breaks are “Playing Thru,” where coverage can still be seen on part of the screen, which was first implemented in 2016.
Whan also touted a new supplemental broadcast called All Access.
“I’m not sure if this is how NBC would describe it, but I’d describe it as Manningcast meets Red Zone,” Whan said. “We are going to have five hours a day on Peacock if you want to check it out with really limited commercial interruptions.”
Whan and NBC responded to the backlash in what should be a positive outcome for viewers at home, and also noted that the final hour of Sunday’s coverage is commercial-free thanks to the USGA’s partnership with Rolex.
“By that point nobody remembers,” Whan said. “But I think it’ll matter.”