The LPGA Tour has secured a broadcast deal that changes everything for women’s professional golf. Starting in 2026, every round of every LPGA Tour event will air live on television — the first time this has happened since 1995. The partnership with commercial property insurer FM, combined with expanded coverage on Golf Channel and CNBC, means that women’s golf will have more television exposure than at any point in its history. With a 50 percent increase in cameras, triple the microphones, four times the shot tracing, and additional drone coverage, this is not just more TV time — it is a fundamental upgrade in how LPGA golf is presented to the world.
What the Deal Includes
The broadcast agreement ensures live television coverage for all four rounds of every LPGA Tour event on the 2026 schedule. Previously, many LPGA events received television coverage only for weekend rounds, with Thursday and Friday rounds available only through streaming or not covered at all. This left casual fans — the audience segment most important for growing the sport — with limited exposure to LPGA competition outside of major championships.
The production upgrades are equally significant. A 50 percent increase in camera positions means more angles, more close-ups, and more shot-tracking capability than viewers have ever had for LPGA broadcasts. Tripling the number of microphones will bring the sounds of the course — club-on-ball contact, crowd reactions, player conversations — to viewers in richer detail. And quadrupling the amount of shot-tracing technology means viewers will see the full trajectory of approach shots, drives, and putts with the kind of data overlay that has become standard in PGA Tour broadcasts.
Additional drone coverage will provide the sweeping course views and overhead shot-tracking angles that have elevated golf broadcasting in recent years. For a sport where the relationship between player and landscape is central to the viewing experience, drone footage can transform how viewers understand course strategy and shot execution.
Why This Matters for Golf
The broadcast gap between men’s and women’s professional golf has been the single biggest structural barrier to the LPGA Tour’s commercial growth. Television exposure drives sponsorship revenue, fan engagement, player recognition, and ultimately prize money. Without consistent, high-quality TV coverage, even the most talented players in the world remain relatively unknown to the broader sports audience.
Consider the contrast: the PGA Tour has enjoyed comprehensive television coverage for decades, with every round of every event broadcast live on major networks. This exposure has made players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau household names. LPGA players of equivalent skill and charisma — Hyo Joo Kim, Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Ruoning Yin — have received a fraction of that exposure, limiting their commercial potential and the tour’s ability to attract sponsors.
The 2026 broadcast deal closes this gap. When every LPGA round is on television, fans can follow storylines across entire tournaments rather than tuning in only for weekend coverage. Players build recognition through consistent exposure. And sponsors — who measure value in television impressions — have a much stronger business case for investing in women’s golf.
The FM Sponsorship Model
The partnership with FM (formerly FM Global) represents a relatively new model for sports broadcasting. Rather than a traditional rights deal where a network pays for broadcast rights and monetizes through advertising, the FM deal involves a presenting sponsor underwriting the production costs necessary to ensure every round is broadcast at a high quality level. This model allows the LPGA to maintain broader distribution across multiple networks and platforms while ensuring consistent production values.
For the LPGA, this is a pragmatic solution to a structural challenge. Women’s sports broadcasting has historically struggled to attract the rights fees that would justify comprehensive coverage on their own. By securing a corporate partner willing to invest in production quality, the LPGA gets the coverage its athletes deserve without being dependent solely on advertising revenue to fund it. If the increased exposure drives higher viewership — which early 2026 numbers suggest it will — the model becomes self-reinforcing as more sponsors enter the market.
How to Watch LPGA Golf in 2026
LPGA Tour events in 2026 are available across multiple platforms. NBC carries the highest-profile events, including major championships. Golf Channel handles the majority of regular-season tournament coverage, including the newly televised Thursday and Friday rounds. CNBC picks up additional rounds to ensure no gaps in live coverage.
For streaming, Peacock (NBC’s streaming platform) and ESPN+ carry LPGA events for cord-cutters. The combination of linear TV and streaming options means LPGA golf is more accessible than ever regardless of how you consume sports content.
The current schedule is highlighted by the Chevron Championship in Houston — the first women’s major of the year — followed by a full summer slate of majors and signature events. With every round now televised, following the LPGA season from start to finish is finally possible for the first time in three decades.
What This Means for Women’s Golf Participation
Television exposure does not just benefit professionals — it drives participation at every level. Research consistently shows that visibility of elite athletes inspires recreational participation, particularly among young people and underrepresented groups. The explosion of women’s participation in soccer following the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and in tennis following Serena Williams’ career, demonstrates the power of television exposure to grow a sport from the top down.
Golf has a particular opportunity here. Women represent the fastest-growing segment of new golfers in many markets, but participation rates still lag significantly behind men. One of the most commonly cited barriers is the perception that golf is a “men’s sport” — a perception that comprehensive LPGA television coverage directly challenges. When young girls see world-class women golfers on television every week, the aspirational pathway becomes visible in a way it has not been before.
For women beginning their golf journey, the timing could not be better. More television coverage means more instructional content, more discussion of women’s equipment and technique, and more visibility for the women’s game at every level. The LPGA’s broadcast deal is not just good for professionals — it is a rising tide that lifts all boats.
The Bigger Picture for Women’s Sports
The LPGA’s 2026 broadcast deal is part of a broader revolution in women’s sports media. The WNBA has secured record broadcast rights deals, the National Women’s Soccer League continues to grow its television footprint, and women’s college sports — particularly basketball — are drawing unprecedented viewership. Golf is joining this wave at exactly the right moment.
The production quality investment is particularly noteworthy. It is not enough to simply put women’s sports on television — the production must match viewer expectations shaped by men’s sports broadcasts. By quadrupling shot tracing, adding drones, and dramatically increasing camera and microphone coverage, the LPGA is ensuring that its broadcasts look and feel like the premium sports product they are. This matters because production quality shapes viewer perception of the sport’s value and legitimacy.
Key Takeaways
The LPGA’s 2026 broadcast deal marks a watershed moment for women’s professional golf. Every round on live television, premium production quality rivaling the PGA Tour, and broad distribution across NBC, Golf Channel, CNBC, and streaming platforms make this the most comprehensive coverage the tour has ever received. For fans, it means unprecedented access to the world’s best women golfers. For the sport, it means the exposure and investment needed to accelerate the growth that women’s golf has long deserved. If you have not been following the LPGA, 2026 is the year to start — because you can finally watch everything.
