Under McCarley’s leadership,
Golf Channel expanded beyond its origins as a television network. According to Forbes, in 2017 and 2018, "Golf Channel seems to continuously evolve as a new media technology platform" and "Golf Channel is far more than a 24-hour television network devoted to golf. “It’s a technology company more than anything,” he said. Golf Channel has embraced golf businesses that have little, if anything, to do with television. When McCarley started (in 2011), Golf Channel had 330 employees. Today it has close to 1,200. Golf Channel has jobs today that didn’t exist a few years ago. “We like to talk about being at the intersection of golf and technology,” He described the Golf Channel culture as more entrepreneurial, which helps employees embrace change more than others. McCarley's leadership style is collaborative and he has been recognized for creating a positive culture inside the company. “Most people who work here would be able to tell you why the things that they do every day matter, and why they help the company succeed. You feel like you’re part of a team. And when the team wins, you win," said McCarley. The Golf Channel has pivoted to projects outside of its TV properties. It has made 21 acquisitions over the past decade to fuel that diversification. When addressing the GOLF Channel leadership team, Case said, ''"Smartly, (you) said 'OK, we could just continue to do that but how do we imagine a broader platform – a bigger brand, a broader company?' – and having now a whole slew of products and services is a great example of the reinvention that's required."'' However, what's even more impressive, according to Case, was that GOLF kept the entrepreneurial spirit intact. In February 2019, McCarley was joined by McIlroy on CNBC’s “
Squawk Box” program to announce GOLFPASS, a new joint venture subscription service. The National Golf Foundation described McCarley as overseeing “all of NBC Sports’ golf-related businesses and content — an ever-growing portfolio. McIlroy told the
Australian Financial Review upon launching the GolfPass direct-to-consumer service with McCarley and NBC, "I want to work with good people, with people who have similar values to what I have." Golf Channel came under the umbrella of
NBC Universal when its owner,
Comcast, acquired control of NBCU on January 28, 2011. On February 2, NBC Sports Group announced that McCarley would take the reins as Golf Channel president. McCarley said his mandate was to integrate and grow the golf assets of the newly combined company, which includes NBC and digital tee-time booker GolfNow. In 2011 Golf Channel started a trend of several years of growth, setting viewership records every year from 2011-14. In 2012 Golf Channel became the fastest-growing network on U.S. television among networks serving 80 million or more homes, according to the Nielsen Company. Also in 2012, Golf Channel launched programming for the first time in
India and other markets across South Asia. Today Golf Channel is available to nearly 500 million viewers in more than 80 countries and nine languages around the world. In addition to increased viewership, McCarley steered continued growth by adding younger-skewing programming, partnering with the NCAA for the college golf championship and
Augusta National Golf Club, home of the
Masters, for the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship for children and extending the flagship “Morning Drive” program to seven days a week with a broader focus to include the lifestyle of golf and increased the focus on quality. The network received the most Emmy nominations in its history in 2014. McCarley said Golf will invest in more high-quality originals that will keep its viewers returning. In a landmark, 12-year agreement in 2015, NBC and Golf Channel won the rights to televise the
British Open, which had been held by ABC for more than 50 years and became the first major golf championship on Golf Channel. In 2018, the audience for the British Open topped the audience for the U.S. Open for the first time in history and was the most-watched British Open in 18 years. Technology subsidiary GolfNow, expanded to Europe and opened new headquarters in Belfast. According to the Belfast Telegraph, its Belfast city offices now house 71 staff. In 2018, the network announced a partnership with
St. Andrews Links and its seven golf courses, including the Old Course where golf has been played since the 1400s. In November 2019, the NBC Sports Group acquired EZLinks Golf, the parent company of TeeOff.com. The merger means that tee time booking industry titans GolfNow and Teeoff.com are now under the same umbrella. In March 2020 NBC Sports struck a new nine-year deal with the PGA Tour, the organizer of the main professional men’s golf tours in the United States. Also in 2020 mid-COVID-19 pandemic, NBC completed “one of the most complicated TV Deals in golf history” requiring rights to the U.S. Open from Fox.
Arnold Palmer Relationship McCarley was careful to maintain Golf Channel co-founder Arnold Palmer's original vision when leading the business through years of unprecedented growth,
Golfweek noted in the days following Palmer's passing. “Palmer became an adviser and confidante of Mike McCarley…who was less than half of Palmer’s age. McCarley has said that he leaned on Palmer for insight about how the golf industry has evolved, in hopes of gleaning lessons to direct Golf Channel’s future course. He often paid homage and invoked Palmer’s influence even as the media company moved into new business ventures and expanded. A
Sports Business Journal profile said, "McCarley doesn't talk about ratings, ad sales or the new shows he's overseen. Rather, he talks about Arnold Palmer. The relationship McCarley has forged with Palmer is indicative of how the network executive operates in the business." As Golf Channel renovated its offices, the network created more ties to its founder. The
Associated Press listed several at the time of Palmer's passing. Arnold Palmer still had a parking spot outside his old office at Golf Channel, the network he co-founded more than two decades ago. Hours after the golfing great died at age 87, the space was filled with flowers, candles and pictures as rain poured down on the makeshift memorial at the Orlando, Florida, headquarters. ==NBC==