The Loop

How NBC is following NASCAR's lead for its Ryder Cup TV coverage (Trust us, it's good news for golf fans)

September 20, 2016

Good news, golf fans. You're going to be able to see more Ryder Cup TV coverage than ever. Just think NASCAR.

Confused? Let's explain.

NBC Sports announced its coverage of next week's biennial matches between the U.S. and Europe will feature an advertising campaign called "Playing Through." The gist of it is that when it's time to cut away to commercials, fans will see a split-screen instead with the right side playing an ad (with sound) and the left side allowing you to see continuous live action from Hazeltine. Here's what it will look like:

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It's similar to the way NASCAR -- another sport with no timeouts -- shows commercials during races. There will still be normal commercial breaks, but NBC expects this to replace those about a third of the time and mostly at the backend of the day's coverage when there's the most drama going on. So plan your bathroom trips accordingly.

The network also revealed limited commercials at this week's Tour Championship once the final pair makes the turn in Sunday's final round.

Two weeks of big-time golf and less time watching commercials? We can certainly live with that.