Meet Skratch TV: golf content for a younger audience

Last year, the PGA Tour announced a plan to launch Skratch TV – golf’s first internet video network.

The digital platform – overseen by the same management team that launched KICK – is now delivering original video content combined with PGA Tour highlights in a voice honed for social media. And it’s superb.

Golf – much like Test cricket – is often labelled as a long, expensive and antiquated sport. In Skratch, the PGA Tour is hoping to show professional golf in a different light, by creating custom content for a younger generation.

“We’ve had a healthy anxiety that we weren’t going to reach this generation with our traditional platforms,” Rick Anderson, Tour executive vice president for global media, told the New York Times. “If we’re not producing content and putting our sport out there on platforms in ways that they’ll consume it, are we going to miss them?”

Not dissimilar to KICK and partner network Copa90, Skratch TV is packaging its sport for the mobile-savvy, rapid-fire content consumer, whilst also creating longer-form features.

The finest of these features is Adventures in Golf. Presented by documentary filmmaker Erik Anders Lang, the 10-video series takes viewers on a fascinating tour around the globe in search of the most intriguing stories in golf.

“As younger fans find new ways to follow their favorite sports, it’s important to deliver great golf content to platforms that they use and in a voice that resonates with them,” said Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner.  “We believe Skratch TV will provide a tremendous new platform to effectively speak to this audience.”

It already has. The channel – created in partnership with digital entertainment company Bedrocket – has amassed 1m views on YouTube and 100,000 likes on Facebook since its inception in February 2015. The network has also launched a website to house its video and written content.

The way Skratch is invigorating the sport with creative content online undoubtedly broadens its appeal. Golf must diversify its strategy to appeal to younger fans, and the PGA Tour’s latest project is the perfect way to do so.

About author

Toby Marriott
Toby Marriott 91 posts

Toby is an Account Executive at Snack Media and Editor of Digital Sport. Follow him on Twitter @TobyMarriott

You might also like

The seven essentials for achieving successful sports branding

By Daniela McVicker When it comes to sports, great branding is a must. Your brand influences how people see your company or team. It helps you to forge connections with

Live Chat: A New Social Experience in Sports

Article written by John S. Kim, CEO and co-founder of global API company SendBird Social media rose to prominence throughout the world due to its potential for connection. Social channels provided the

Snack Media’s Football Content Campaign’s Review: February

By Mike Constanti This series, in partnership with Snack Media, will look at the best football campaigns from advertising to social media on a monthly basis, as Digital Sport evaluates how