Interview with Mike Kerr II

Part II of Interview with Mike Kerr of Asian Tour on growing the game in Asia

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Golf In India

 

This is the second of a two part interview series with the CEO of the Asian Tour, Mike Kerr. In this conversation, we speak with Mike about the role of television and sponsors and their impact on the spread of the game. Anand Datla discusses with him about his perspective on the PGTI and the growing interest in golf around India.

 


 

AD – Tell us a little bit about your interactions with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and any plans that you might have for collaboration between the Asian Tour and the PGTI

 

MK – The PGTI and the Asian Tour have enjoyed a strong relationship over the years and this is evident from the number of events that we have co-sanctioned in India. India is one of our strongest partners in the region and we will continue to work closely with them to grow professional golf for our mutual benefits. The aim is always to create an attractive platform for sponsors to invest in professional golf and we have been fortunate to have worked with many great sponsors in India.

 


 

AD – You have been in the media earlier in your career. How important is it for golf in Asia to gain a larger footprint in the television media? What measures is the tour taking to strengthen its relationship with the media?

 

MK – Our global television footprint covers over 180 nations and 600 million homes, which is an attractive platform for sponsors. Many corporations place TV exposure as one of the key ROIs but there are other elements involved to secure sponsorship deals. Through Asian Tour Media, which is our TV production and distribution arm and a joint venture company with IMG Media, we continue to reach out to new and emerging markets as golf is still growing, particularly in Asia. Sport is personality driven and TV viewers and fans always look forward to watching the next big star on their screens. In the past few years, we have successfully created top stars such Thailand

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