Mumbai: ABP Network has announced its collaboration with Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) as the digital media partner for its golf tournaments to be held in 2021. With this move, ABP claims to have become the first Hindi news network to cover a golf tour in the country and broadcast it live on its digital platform - ABP Live and other social media platforms.   

The partnership was launched in October with the coverage of the first leg of the 5 City, Tata Steel PGTI, MP Cup 2021 held in Delhi. Inaugurating the event, MOS for external affairs and culture Meenakshi Lekhi said, “Golf is perceived to be a sport of the elite, but it is played by people from all sections of society. It also provides economic support for many. It is great that ABP is streaming the tournament live and popularising the sport with the masses.” She presented the award and a cash prize of Rs 11, 31,550 to Viraj Madappa – winner of the Delhi leg.

Live broadcast of the next leg of the tour that was held in Jaipur garnered more than two million views on ABP Live during the four-day coverage. The remaining three legs of the tournament to be held in Chandigarh (13 and 14 November), Kolkata (27 and 28 November) and Jamshedpur (18 and 19 December) will witness over 300 professional golf players, including Olympians and past winners for a chance to lift the Rs 1.5 crore title. 

Commenting on the partnership with PGTI, ABP Network CEO Avinash Pandey remarked, "While Golf is rising as a sport in India, we at ABP believe that it should be made accessible to the masses of the country. ABP, with its widespread reach and popularity, strives to make this possible."

“Over the last few years, we have been aggressively looking towards ramping up our offerings in the sports segment like Kabbadi and Olympics, while not remaining restricted to cricket. This initiative of broadcasting golf is in line with the larger goal. It’s a prestigious moment for the network to associate with PGTI and facilitate a pan-Indian viewership for the tournament," he added.

PGTI is the internationally recognised controlling body for professional golf in India which is included in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system.