The imminent exit of Jay Monahan and the arrival of Brian Rolapp have brought relief among the PGA Tour fans. The business expert changed the landscape of the NFL, helping it reach new heights. Under Rolapp, they managed to sign record-breaking deals with CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ABC, Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube. He also pushed the launch of the NFL+ app. It’s safe to say that he efficiently fulfilled his role as the CEO of NFL Network. His efforts also helped the NFL break a lot of viewership records. Now, it’s time for the PGA Tour. Hence, Rolapp and he come with an opinion!

3 and a half years into their media deal with CBS and NBC, the PGA Tour has experienced a roller-coaster of a ride in viewership over the last few years. Especially in 2024, the numbers dropped drastically as the Tour posted the worst records seen in over a decade. Keeping all this in mind, a CNBC reporter asked Rolapp what he’d like to see for the next round of media deals for the Tour. Something similar to the NFL?

With a busy NFL season schedule, TV broadcasts presented some limitations that didn’t give fans complete access to all the action. Rolapp’s introduction of streamking ensured the fans didn’t miss out on any action. With the media deal of the PGA Tour concluding in 2030, the incoming PGA Tour CEO said, “It’s been a good few days, as I’ve been able to listen and learn more and talk to a lot of the PGA Tour’s partners. When you look at the media and everything you know, sport is still breaking through. If you look at where audiences are being aggregated, despite the fragmentation of media, it’s been around sports.”

Rolapp believes that the media has only touched the surface of the broadcast potential of sports. With so much interest in the field, it is bound to grow, and the broadcast quality of the same will also grow along the way. He further added, “So I think, when it comes to the PGA Tour, it’s very early. We haven’t even thought about these new deals yet. We have time. But I know we are going to innovate and increase the attractiveness of the television events themselves.”

Judging by his response, Rolapp seems to have a direction he wants to take the golf broadcast. Even if he and the PGA Tour management may not have a blueprint in place, they have certainly hired the right man to work on it over the next 5 and a half years. Speaking about his vision, he mentioned, “But also, we need to go where the fans are. Increasingly, the fans are spending their time on digital, and I imagine a big priority of mine, as I get there, is to increase our digital footprint in all sorts of ways. That could include the Tour events themselves, but it could also include everything in between the Tour events and tell the stories of these golfers and tell the stories of this sport, which I think is underrepresented in media.”

There are a couple of things he emphasizes: enhancing the digital landscape of golf and building stories of the sport and golfers, even when tournaments are not being played. Such a comprehensive strategy will ensure that most fans can rely on everything related to the PGA Tour and its players within the platform. It will also increase the transparency between the Tour and the fans. If executed well, the strategy can be a big hit in the community. Interestingly, even before Rolapp clarified his stance on the situation, he had already received support from Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa. Morikawa had said, “At the end of the day, it is what we are doing for the fans, and he has a good perspective for that given his background with the media and marketing side of the NFL.”

These are not the only plans he has revealed for the future of the PGA Tour. He has also spoken about what he thinks is working for the Tour and how he plans to take advantage of it.

Brian Rolapp is anticipating a bright future for the PGA Tour 

During a recent interview with NBC, Brian Rolapp was asked about the possibility of integrating a LIV Golf-like team-based format on the PGA Tour. He confidently responded, “I think the PGA Tour product is strong as it is. I think if you look at the underlying viewership numbers, we have grown this year significantly. One of the reasons why I took this job is because I really studied that fan engagement. If you look at a competitive round on a Sunday afternoon when they’re pulling in three to four million views, it’s a large sports event.”

He can see that the product, as it is, is working well with the fans. The viewership has increased a lot this year after the unexplained drop in 2024. Rolapp is positive that the format will continue to be fruitful. Leaning back into the broadcast innovation bit, he also added, “I think the product is working and the golf fans are voting with their remotes and with their mouses. They’re watching what they want to watch. I think we’re definitely going to have a culture of innovation.” As the PGA Tour continues to grow in popularity, Brian Rolapp believes it’s best to capitalize on the momentum it already has instead of introducing something that has proven not to get as much traction on the other side of the world.