US Open 2023 telecast: TV commercials overshadow play during round 1 coverage despite Mike Whan’s promise

The TV broadcast of the US Open 2022 faced a major backlash due to the number of commercials. The play was interrupted multiple times during the tournament, forcing the audience to raise complaints against the same.

The same scenario repeated on Thursday during the telecast of the US Open 2023 Round 1 from the Los Angeles Country Club.

USGA CEO Mike Whan on Wednesday announced that the TV broadcast of the US Open 2023 will have 30 per cent fewer commercial breaks compared to last year. Whan made the announcement sticking to the promise he made last year.

Despite the big statement, the Round 1 coverage of the major was interrupted several times due to ad breaks on the USA Network, owned by NBC Universal Television and Streaming.

According to reports, the first 12 minutes and 45 seconds of coverage of the afternoon session of the major championship had a staggering 15 commercials. The coverage that started at 2 pm ET on USA Network showed just 11 golf shots between the 12 commercials.

Apart from the TV commercials, the play was also interrupted for a one-minute promotional video for the USGA, featuring Whan himself.

The low play-to-ads ratio continued throughout the day. The first 24 minutes of the coverage starting at 3:00 pm had 20 commercials. To the viewer’s surprise, the longest uninterrupted part of the coverage had just 15 shots in a row.

However, even this was surrounded by 13 ads in half-screen format.

Needless to say, fans are yet again disappointed in the ad-filled coverage and have taken to social media to register their displeasure. Many viewers have called out Whan directly as he made a hollow promise of making the event break-free.

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USGA CEO’s claim to take action against TV commercial interruptions during US Open broadcast

Ahead of the US Open 2023, Mike Whan claimed that the USGA and NBC network has discussed and settled on reducing the TV commercials during the major’s broadcast.

The USGA chief said there will be a 30 per cent drop in commercials breaks during weekend coverage. In comparison to last year, the 123rd US Open will have 19 fewer commercials, as claimed by the official.

Whan stated that he decided to take action regarding the commercials after receiving fan complaints on social media. Speaking at LACC ahead of the major weekend, the governing body chief said he looked into the complaints and took action for the same. However, Thursday’s coverage of the event proved otherwise.

It is pertinent to note that NBC Sports’ coverage of the US Open 2023 is the most expansive TV coverage in USGA history at the major championship. It'll be interesting to see how the situation progresses over the weekend.