The Masters Golf Tournament will be held this year from April 8th through the 11th, and DIRECTV will once again provide subscribers with bonus coverage not found on any other provider.  The Masters Experience will once again bring DIRECTV customers three extra channels of coverage, using the broadcast feeds from ESPN during the first two days of play, and then the CBS feeds during the 3rd and final round on Sunday.

The 2010 Masters will no doubt be among the most watched sporting events of the year.  It not only is considered the Super Bowl of Golf, it marks the return of Tiger Woods.  Woods announced he would make his return to golf at Augusta National, following a nearly six month absence from the game.  Numerous personal issues have dogged Woods, headlined by a number of women coming forward claiming  sexual relationships with the games number one golfer.  While Tiger no doubt wants to maintain his low profile, he is scheduled to do a pre-Masters press conference on April 5th.  It will mark the first time Woods has faced the press outside of a one-on-one setting.

The DIRECTV Masters coverage will once again feature the Masters Mix channel, found on channel 701.  Here you will be able to see four different views of the Masters.  By scrolling to any view and hitting the select button on your DIRECTV remote control, you will be able to take that view to the full screen.  The main view will cover the primary ESPN or CBS feed, and will of course be in high definition as will the other three mix channels.

The second channel will again cover Amen Corner – the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes at the Augusta National golf course.  A third channel will focus on the action at holes 15 and 16.  Finally, the featured group channel will follow one group of interest around the course.  They might as well name this the Tiger channel, as no doubt the group Woods plays in will be featured here, as each shot Tiger makes will be evaluated at length.

DIRECTV will once again integrate their ScoreGuide system into the event as well.  While you are tuned to any Masters Mix channel (701-705) you can hit the red button on your remote control to bring up all kinds of Masters related information.  Current leaders, full scorecards, and the Masters Trivia game will be some of the features accessible through ScoreGuide.

DIRECTV will kick Masters week off with the 2010 Masters Preview, which will air on the 101 Network on April 5th, followed by the 2009 Masters Review.  Both programs will also be available for those who have set up DIRECTV on demand so you can watch the Masters on Demand as well.

Update: 2010 Masters Mix Coverage

DIRECTV will once again offer unmatched coverage of the Masters Golf tournament this year.   The Masters Experience by DIRECTV will take coverage from ESPN and CBS, once again offering different views of the tournament through the “Masters Mix” channel.

Four channels of Masters coverage will be available starting on April 11, 2009.   Highlighting the coverage will be the Masters Mix channel on DIRECTV channel 701.   The Masters Mix channel will offer DIRECTV viewers four different options, allowing them to see the shots and players they prefer to follow.

One channel in the Mix will be the live coverage offered by ESPN on the first two days, and CBS during the final two rounds.  Another channel will offer detailed coverage of Amen Corner, the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes at the Augusta National golf course.

The third channel will feature play on the 15th and 16th holes, critical for golfers as they head for the 18th green.  Finally, a fourth channel will cover the “Masters In-Depth”.   Live updates, commentary, and player interviews can be found on this particular Masters Mix channel.  Past champions Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will battle defending champ Trevor Immelman and other elite golfers on DIRECTV.

Once again, the Masters Experience will be free for all DIRECTV customers, leaving Dish Network sports fans envious of the competition.   Programming will be delivered in both standard definition and in HD.   One nice feature for viewers is that each additional channel will have its own announcers and production crew.   This will allow fans to be fully involved with whatever channel they select, as they will not just be silent channels.

Even better, full leader board and individual player stats will be accessible via the DIRECTV remote control.  By pushing the red button on your remote control while tuned to any of the Masters Mix channels, viewers will be able to easily navigate through the leader board and even through individual player scorecards.

This year’s Masters Tournament runs from April 11th through the 14th. DIRECTV will also offer special Masters Experience coverage via their video on demand platform.   A Masters page will be accessible via the On-demand platform, allowing viewers to view a 2008 Masters highlight show, as well as a 2009 Masters preview.   The Masters preview show will also be available on DIRECTV’s in house network, The 101.

Update: 2010 Masters Mix Coverage

Nearly two months from the initial announcement, the Masters Mix from DirecTV is nearly here. The enhanced coverage of the prestigious golf coverage will be televised on Direct TV channels 701-710 starting this Thursday, April 11^th.

The tournament, held every year at the Augusta National Gold Club in Georgia, will be covered from every angle. High definition coverage will be the name of the game, as 60 HD cameras will be in use, including 10 hand-held HD cameras. ESPN gets the early round coverage this year, while CBS will cover Saturday and Sunday’s action. Tiger Woods is of course this year’s favorite, looking for his fifth Green Jacket.

DIRECTV has struck an innovative agreement with ESPN and CBS to offer expanded coverage of the tournament. The nearly 17 million subscribers to the satellite television service will enjoy a free upgrade to the Masters Mix. While this year’s offering is free, Direct TV will surely be monitoring fan interest to gauge whether they will be able to charge for the service next year.

Described on their website as The Masters Experience, DIRECTV is once again dedicating resources in an attempt to please another group of sports fanatics. So what can DIRECTV subscribers expect to see during the tournament?

As mentioned, plenty of HD, as long as you are an HD subscriber. All of DIRECTV’s coverage including interactive features will be in high definition. The featured channel will be the Mix Channel, which will have 4 views on your television screen. One will simulcast the CBS/ESPN HD coverage.

The second will cover Amen Corner, holes 11, 12, and 13. The third will feature the 15^th and 16th holes. Finally, the last will cover the highlights, lowlights, and leader board information.

DIRECTV is also offering additional features including an interactive features channel, as well as DIRECTV on Demand, promoting the ability to download preview information, recap shows, highlights, and historical moments in Masters Golf.

Update: 2010 Master Mix

Golf fans who also subscribe to DIRECTV will get their fill this year at the 2008 Masters Tournament, held in Augusta, Georgia on April 10-13. That’s due to a new service from the satellite TV company, which will expand upon ESPN and CBS coverage with three additional broadcast channels, along with the “Masters Mix Channel,” giving viewers four views on one channel.


The new service, detailed in a press release from the company today, pushes the limit on covering a slow moving sport like golf. No doubt golf junkies will enjoy the fact they have multiple options instead of being tied to the main network feed. But will this much coverage entice the casual fan?
The Masters Mix channel, which will be on DIRECTV channel 701 for standard definition, and 706 for HD will offer four “views” on one screen. Viewers can hear audio on the channel of choice, and also enlarge the views to full screen via remote control. The views will be:

One-The main feed, CBS on the weekend and ESPN for early round coverage.

Two-Highlight channel, continuous coverage of the day’s best shots and replay coverage.

Three-“Amen Corner” provides coverage on the hallowed grounds of golf, holes 11, 12, and 13 at the Augusta Golf Club. Continuous coverage as players move through the corner.

Four-Holes 15 and 16. Generally regarded as the part of the course where the men are separated from the boys at Augusta National.

All four channels will be available in both standard definition and HD. The additional channels will be full feature, with their own cameras and announcers from DIRECTV and CBS Sports. DIRECTV has also enabled several interactive features including access to scores and stats, Masters trivia questions, leaderboard, and tournament history, all accessible via a menu icon on each channel.

There is no cost for the additional Masters coverage-at least not this year. Will more be better for the Masters? DIRECTV certainly thinks so, as it continues to expand on its wildly popular sports franchises, NFL Sunday Ticket and NASCAR HotPass.