Discovery acquires Golf Digest from Condé Nast

Golf Digest reaches millions every month across all platforms: 60 million video views, 4.8 million readers, 4.8 million digital uniques, and 2.2 million social followers.

Additionally, Discovery and the PGA Tour are expanding their 12-year strategic partnership with a new content and sales relationship in the US, among other initiatives. The organisations will deepen their partnership and join forces to create a digital network with a one-stop activation platform, now including Golf Digest, for advertisers to engage with fans and players. This includes a full suite of editorial coverage, live and on-demand video streaming, digital, social, print and branded content opportunities. The current Golf Digest sales teams will continue to be responsible for ad sales during a transition period until the Discovery / PGA Tour sales integration is complete.

David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery, said: “Golf Digest is a world-class brand that has become the ‘go-to’ authority for millions of golf enthusiasts, professional players and global advertisers. It’s a natural strategic fit with Discovery’s goal to be the leading golf media platform in the world. Through our investments with the PGA Tour, the European Tour and our partnership with Tiger Woods, we wanted to bolster GOLFTV’s international offerings with Golf Digest’s award-winning journalism, broad consumer reach and deep content library while also creating the largest US digital golf business. Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour have been great partners and we are excited to expand our mutual vision to bring these amazing players and all of their terrific play to more people on more devices in every market in the world.”

Rick Anderson, chief media Officer, PGA Tour, added: “We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with Discovery, as well as Golf Digest, which has been an official marketing partner of the PGA Tour since 2006. By combining our assets in the US, we’re now able to offer the most robust digital content and product offering for fans, golfers and TOUR partners. The new PGA Tour / Golf Digest digital network will be the single largest golf network offering unrivaled breadth and depth of content across platforms.”

Discovery will seek to optimise its exclusive global partnership with Tiger Woods across both Golf Digest and PGA Tour platforms. GOLFTV is collaborating with Woods on a range of content, such as deep-dive instruction to help players improve their game, which began filming last month, and exclusive access to his tournament preparation. The collaboration offers an authentic look into the life, mind and performance of the game’s ultimate icon.

Alex Kaplan, President and General Manager, Discovery Golf, said: “This is a big deal for Discovery to add Golf Digest to our golf portfolio. Adding Golf Digest to GOLFTV and our existing PGA Tour, European Tour, Tiger and Francesco content will be a big win for the sport. We are offering something unique, whether you’re a fan, player, viewer, brand or advertiser. We can utilize the strengths of both Golf Digest and our burgeoning GOLFTV platform, establishing a global editorial powerhouse delivering content across all platforms to engage and inspire millions of passionate golf fans around the world.”

Golf Digest’s editorial team will join Discovery Golf under the continued leadership of Jerry Tarde, as editor-in-chief, Golf Digest, and global head of strategy and content, Discovery Golf. In addition to overseeing Golf Digest content, Tarde will expand his purview to include GOLFTV and report to Alex Kaplan, president and general Manager, Discovery Golf.

Jerry Tarde, editor-in-chief, Golf Digest, and global head of strategy and content, Discovery Golf, said: “Golf Digest has this amazing team of editors, reporters, producers, photographers and contributors – all dedicated to helping golfers improve and be smarter consumers of the game we love. Discovery’s vision to create one global destination for everything a golf fan could want is perfectly aligned with what Golf Digest does every day. As we look to the future, Discovery’s global scale and ability to light up content on all platforms and in every language, combined with the PGA Tour’s brand, will benefit golf and golfers worldwide.”

Kaplan added: “A critical piece is Golf Digest’s people. We’re thrilled to welcome aboard Golf Digest’s world-class team and its chairman and editor-in-chief, Jerry Tarde, who is widely considered the dean of golf journalism.”