JLPGA Tour "T-Point x ENEOS Golf Tournament" Internet Broadcast Receives 2.27 Million Views in Japan Over the Three Days of the Tournament!

2021.03.26 Press Releases
T Point Japan Co., Ltd.

- As a result of the fierce battle on the final day, the number of views was the second highest ever! -

T-Point Japan Co., Ltd., Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd., CCC Marketing Co., Ltd., and ENEOS Corporation conducted a live internet broadcast of the JLPGA Tour "T-Point x ENEOS Golf Tournament," which was held at Kagoshima Takamaki Country Club in Kagoshima Prefecture for three days from Friday, March 19, 2021 to Sunday, March 21, 2021. We are pleased to announce that the tournament was held without spectators, with the second qualifying round suspended and carried over to the next day, where the rest was broadcast entirely online. Additionally, the final round was an extremely close contest, resulting in a total of 2.27 million views (combined across the tournament's official website, AbemaTV, and GOLF Net TV).

Internet broadcasting of this tournament began in 2013 as a pioneer in women's professional golf, and has been delivering the players' exciting play in real time. This year, as befits the 10th tournament, two past winners, Yuki Ichinose, who won her first professional victory in 2013, and Akane Iijima, who won the 2015 tournament after a six-hole playoff, were invited to commentate, along with professionals Soushi Tajima, Naoto Nakanishi, and Kazuto Kobayashi, who looked back on many of the memorable moments from the past.

While the concept continued with the traditional theme of "SLOW & ZOOM," cameras were installed on all 18 holes, and the Top Tracer trajectory display system was combined with a wireless system to display the trajectory of shots at key moments on the screen, providing a long, completely live broadcast from the start of the first group to the finish of the final group, something that cannot be covered on television. In addition, as a new form of internet broadcasting in the new normal era, the event was streamed using a remote production method that reduced work at the venue. Only a minimum number of staff were present at the venue, and video was transmitted via dedicated transmission lines, the internet, and LTE lines, with the program being produced at a relay center in the Tokyo metropolitan area, approximately 1,000 km away.

The second round of this tournament was suspended due to poor course conditions caused by heavy rain, with 26 players unable to complete the second round. The next day, the remainder of the second round was broadcast entirely via internet live broadcast only, and in the following final round, 15 players were closely contested, with only two strokes separating them from the top, making it impossible to know which player would emerge victorious until the very end. Due to the nature of the tournament and the fact that it was held without spectators to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the total number of views was 2.27 million, the second highest after 2.89 million in 2017, even though it was only available domestically. This tournament will continue to pursue "new ways to enjoy golf tournaments that have never been seen before."

T Point Japan will continue to aim to allow many people to experience the true essence of sports - the wonderful emotion of "moving people's hearts" - and to propose a new lifestyle through sports. 　

Comments from the commentators of the "T Point x ENEOS Golf Tournament"

[Comment from Kobayashi Kazuto]
This year's tournament was also a fierce battle, and even as a golf fan I couldn't help but become engrossed in the action, even as I was commentating. I think the players showed great technical ability in the harsh weather conditions, and more than anything, I was amazed at the potential of the course, which allowed play to continue in the heavy rain. In addition, the commentators had great teamwork and I had a lot of fun working there, so it was great! Thank you everyone.

[Comment from professional golfer Akane Iijima]
This was my first time commentating online and I went to the regular tour for the first time in a while, and I was inspired by how the level of the women's tournaments has improved so much since I was there. I think we will see more and more players emerge who can compete on the world stage. I would like to share more technical details in the future.

[Comment from professional golfer Yuki Ichinose]
Thank you for allowing me to provide online commentary for three days. The match was unfolding in a way that made it seem like anyone could have won, and even I was on the edge of my seat commentating. We hope that we were able to convey the exciting battles and the fun and excitement of golf to golf fans who were unable to attend the tournament venue through the screen.

[Comment from professional golfer Soushi Tajima]
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for having the opportunity to provide online commentary again in 2019. I became the Executive Director of Competitions for the men's tour in April 2020, and have witnessed firsthand how many tournaments have been forced to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I also thought that only the person in charge could understand the difficulties of hosting a tournament, and that I was the only one who could convey that to them. We aim to provide a deeper insight into topics that are different from those on terrestrial television, and we hope to continue to help our viewers become even more passionate about golf and to help them love it even more. Thank you very much to everyone involved for your hard work, despite the changing weather every day. I will continue to work hard so that I can be invited back next year. thank you very much!

[Comment from Naoto Nakanishi]
I usually work as a player, but this time as a commentator, it was a good opportunity to think about how to convey the appeal of golf to the viewers! I also learned a lot, and it was a great experience that I'm grateful for, which will help me with my own golf!

Materials related to this matter

JLPGA Tour "T-Point x ENEOS Golf Tournament" Internet Broadcast Receives 2.27 Million Views in Japan Over the Three Days of the Tournament!

Inquiries regarding this matter
T Point Japan Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Officer: Ando
TEL: 03-6800-4464