Nationwide Tour video to increase on PGATOUR.COM

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- To meet an ever-growing demand for more Nationwide Tour content, the PGA TOUR, with the support of the Tour's umbrella sponsor, Nationwide Insurance, has launched an initiative that will provide expanded high-quality coverage, player and tournament features and other programming to PGATOUR.COM on a weekly basis.

New content began appearing on the Nationwide Tour section of PGATOUR.COM last week during the BMW Charity Pro-Am and will be posted every tournament week through the conclusion of the 2009 season in late October.

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The goal of the program is to provide enhanced coverage to heighten interest in the Nationwide Tour throughout the year, culminating with the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island and the competition for "THE 25" PGA TOUR cards that are available for 2010. The content will complement the Nationwide Tour's existing presence on PGATOUR.COM and the highly regarded television coverage GOLF CHANNEL provides.

The new Nationwide Tour video approach mirrors content PGATOUR.COM produces for the PGA TOUR each week. The added content will be hosted on a new Nationwide Tour video channel. Examples of enhanced programming content include "Nationwide Tour Weekly," a show that features winner interviews, competition recaps and tournament previews. Other content will personalize Nationwide Tour players, including the Emmy Award-nominated "Outside The Ropes" franchise.

Live elements and streaming of interviews will also be featured at select events. Celebrities Oliver Hudson, Terry O'Quinn, Gary Valentine, Kevin Sorbo and Michael Peņa, tournament winner Michael Sim and other tournament contenders were among those interviewed during the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Finally, PGATOUR.COM's popular "LIVE@" franchise will be expanded to several dates on the Nationwide Tour. Note: Weekly content will be archived on pgatour.com/video under the Nationwide Tour channel.

"While on the competition side, the Nationwide Tour is well-established as the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, we also view ourselves as the official test market for innovative ways to reach golf fans," said Nationwide Tour president Bill Calfee.

"This initiative demonstrates the progressive outlook of the Nationwide Tour and the continued evolution of our marketing efforts. We are excited about the opportunity to engage fans in a new way as they follow one of the game's most compelling dramas, that of "THE 25" and the season-long quest to earn a PGA TOUR card. We appreciate the support of our partner, Nationwide Insurance, in helping launch this initiative."

"As the Tour's umbrella sponsor, Nationwide Insurance is always looking for ways to extend an On Your Side® experience to golf fans, whether that be on the golf course or as they follow the action from the comfort of their home," said John Aman, associate vice president of strategic sponsorships for Nationwide Insurance.

"We agree this was a great way to give fans more access to the exciting action taking place on the Nationwide Tour and the future PGA TOUR standouts that compete in tournaments across the country each week."

As the season progresses, the PGA TOUR will work closely with Nationwide Insurance to assess the program, modify it and introduce new elements based on feedback it gets in order to produce the most value and the most interesting content possible for fans who visit PGATOUR.COM.

"Increasing our focus on the Nationwide Tour is a natural progression for PGATOUR.COM given fans' growing interest in our existing Tour coverage," said Lee Bushkell, PGATOUR.COM Vice President and General Manager. "The Nationwide Tour's track record of producing top-flight PGA TOUR talent is driving interest among PGATOUR.COM users. By providing deeper coverage, we believe we are responding to their wishes for more consumption options."

The overall increase in golf fans that follow the Nationwide Tour on PGATOUR.COM has been significant. Page views to the Nationwide Tour Homepage between Jan. 1 and May 11 of this year have been 3.9 million versus 2.5 million in 2008, an increase of 57 percent. Also, the Nationwide Tour Leaderboard has had 15.7 million year-to-date page views.

Video is an increasing part of PGATOUR.COM's tournament coverage. This year, PGATOUR.COM has already recorded 85.3 million video streams and has been nominated for an Emmy Award and a Webby Award for video content produced in association with PGA TOUR Productions.