With the new deals that ESPN has or soon will sign to move the Open Championship and all five Bowl Championship Series games to cable, it is becoming apparent that the future of sports on TV may very well be on cable - and only cable. 

Sports Business Journal put together a piece on the subject about the question.  The piece nails down the major reasons why cable networks are more able to bid on sports properties and why sports leagues are getting more comfortable with the idea of having an exclusive cable outlet. 

For the cable networks that are bidding and winning - among them, ESPN and Comcast-owned properties Versus and The Golf Channel - they have dual income streams.  They make money from subscription fees charged to cable companies.  In the case of Comcast, that they charge their own subscribers.  They also make money from advertising.  Network television only makes money from the latter, putting them at a serious disadvantage when it comes time to bid for contracts.

The sports leagues are growing more comfortable with the concept because they feel that the number of cable homes across the country will grow with switch to digitial TV in 2009.  SBJ says Comcast expects almost 3 million new subscribers because of the switch.  Also, since there is precedent for cable-exclusive broadcasts of major events like the NBA and MLB playoffs, the leagues are more comfortable with the trade off in total potential viewers for more comprehensive coverage on cable.

Golf has already moved somewhat in that direction prior to ESPN clinching the Royal & Ancient contract this week.  ESPN already broadcasts early round coverage of the Masters, US Open, and the Ryder Cup.  Golf Channel has taken over rights to the Presidents Cup from Turner.  It is rumored that ESPN will also make a bid to grab the rights to the PGA Championship.

Non-major championships are already making the switch to cable.  The Golf Channel has a fifteen year contract with the PGA Tour to broadcast its events.  It has expanded that coverage for 2009, thanks to a deal between CBS and Comcast, to include additional weekend coverage.  Currently, the LPGA Tour is negotiating with The Golf Channel for a contract that will feature its tournaments on weekends starting in 2010.

The end result will likely be a landscape for golf in which more than two-thirds of televised golf will be on cable.  The Golf Channel will have contracts with every major professional golf tour, as well as the United States Golf Association. 

Still, each of the major entities in golf have some kind of network television presence.  The PGA Tour has a contract with the broadcast networks through 2012.  The USGA has a deal with NBC and ESPN through 2014.  The PGA Championship is on CBS until 2011, along with TNT.  Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour is struggling to negotiate a deal of its own for beyond the 2010 season. 

That alignment is certainly subject to change, though, considering the expected expansion of The Golf Channel into more homes.  As broadcast networks begin to shy away from bidding on costly sports properties, TGC is primed to swipe up much of the remaining hours of golf on broadcast TV.  ESPN will likely become the network for the major championships aligned with the PGA Tour and scattered other majors presented by the USGA and Royal & Ancient.

Clearly, the future of professional golf is on cable.  Under that premise, much of the game improvement and historical golf programming that comprised The Golf Channel's schedule until the PGA Tour contract in 2006 has been relegated from prominence.  Much of this programming was popular with golfers that turned to TGC for their own game and the history of the sport.  It may be time for The Golf Channel to spin off a second network to handle the expected additional load, and to revive much of the game improvement programming that its audience craves. 

There may even be an opportunity to take this platform to a completely Web-based format.  Given the success of ESPN's ESPN360.com property, The Golf Channel may be able to do the same.  The NBA has expanded its cable subscription package to allow for watching all games online through NBA League Pass Broadband.  Major League Baseball has had a similar package for years.  Even the National Football League is experimenting with digital streaming of live events.  Though many of the major bodies of golf already have some kind of Web streaming - with great success - the Golf Channel could be in great position to consolidate this programming under one roof.

A Golf Channel Web property would allow for more on-demand streaming of game improvement content, pro golf analysis, and even live broadcasts of events that may be forced into tape delay telecast on the network, such as the European Tour and the LPGA Tour.  Given the difficult economy, the property could create advertising opportunities that may not be available to TGC due to the cost of ad buys.  In effect, a Web broadcast platform could bring golf into the modern age and sure up revenue for years to come.

In the end, the fan would win, too.  With more and better availability to pro golf and content to improve their own games, golf could become more accessible.  The game could become more viral in nature and may even add to participation since people would have more consistent access to lessons and techniques.  During a time in which the golf industry is looking to grow the game, there may be no better solution than to take the game exclusively to networks that can specialize in providing the attention it deserves.