Comcast tees up international launches for The Golf Channel

Comcast International Media Group is set to launch The Golf Channel internationally by the end of the year.

It is expected to launch the sports channel internationally in the last quarter of this year. CIMG President Kevin MacLellan told TBIvision that it decided to take The Golf Channel worldwide instead of computer games focused network G4.

"I’ve gotten more interest for The Golf Channel than any other channel I’ve launched," he said. "We don’t have any strong sports channels at the moment to give us leverage."

Comcast is currently negotiating a rights agreement with the PGA Tour, with which it has a 15 year deal in the US, as well as the European Tour and various Asian competitions.

Meanwhile, CIMG is also prepping the launch of its first scripted shows for its main E! brand. The company’s first foray into fiction is expected to bow later this year, writer’s strike permitting, after it acquired six scripts, three of which it is making pilots for.