You're sitting there, coffee in hand, ready for the first tee shot at Royal Birkdale, and suddenly you realize you have no idea which app actually has the rights this year. It happens every July. The Open TV coverage has become a bit of a moving target lately. Between the early morning marathons on USA Network and the deep-dive streaming on Peacock, keeping track of where the leaders are on the leaderboard requires a minor in communications.
Honestly, the British Open—or The Open Championship, if you're being proper—is the best major in golf because of the chaos. The weather. The pot bunkers. The fact that someone like Shane Lowry or Jordan Spieth can look like a genius one hole and a weekend hacker the next. But if you can't find the broadcast, the drama doesn't matter.
NBC Sports holds the keys to the kingdom through 2028. That’s the big thing to remember. They’ve got the rights, but they split the coverage across three or four different platforms depending on the time of day and how much you're willing to pay for a subscription.
Where the 154th Open is Actually Playing
The 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale is going to be a grind. If you're in the United States, you're looking at a serious time zone offset. We're talking 1:30 AM starts for the die-hards.
USA Network usually takes the "overnight" and early morning shifts. They handle the bulk of the Thursday and Friday rounds. It's that classic cable experience. You get the world feed, you get the familiar voices like Dan Hicks and Mike Tirico once the sun actually comes up in England, and you get a lot of commercials for luxury SUVs.
Then there’s Peacock.
NBC has been pushing their streaming service hard. If you want the "featured groups" or the "featured holes," you basically have to have a Peacock Premium account. It’s not just a backup anymore. In previous years, they’ve even moved parts of the main broadcast exclusively to the app. It's annoying if your internet is spotty, but it’s the only way to see the guys at the bottom of the field who might be making a surprise run at the Claret Jug.
The Weekend Shift to Big NBC
Saturday and Sunday are different. Once the cut is made and the pressure ramps up, the coverage migrates over to the main NBC broadcast network. This is where you get the high-definition sweeps of the coastline and the long-form storytelling.
If you're a cord-cutter, you can find this via an antenna or services like FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. But don't expect the main network to start at dawn. They usually wait until 7:00 or 8:00 AM ET to pick up the feed, meaning the early leaders on Sunday might be five holes into their round before you even see a live shot on "free" TV.
The Peacock Problem and Why It Sorta Works
People complain about Peacock. I get it. Nobody wants another $7.99 monthly charge on their credit card statement. But for a golf nerd, the coverage is actually deeper than what you get on cable.
They do these "Featured Groups" that follow a specific trio for all 18 holes. You see every shot. You hear the caddie-player conversations that usually get drowned out by the main broadcast's commentary. For the 2026 Open, expect the R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) to lean even harder into these microphones.
Last year at Troon, the featured hole coverage at the "Postage Stamp" was arguably better than the main broadcast. You just sat there and watched pro after pro lose their soul in a tiny sand trap. That’s the kind of niche content that makes The Open TV coverage unique compared to The Masters or the PGA Championship.
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Radio and International Alternatives
Sometimes you're stuck at work. Or in the car.
The R&A website (TheOpen.com) usually runs a stellar live radio feed. It's free. It’s old-school. There’s something incredibly soothing about listening to a British commentator describe a rainy dunescape while you're stuck in traffic on the I-95.
If you’re outside the US:
- UK: Sky Sports remains the gold standard. They dedicate an entire channel—Sky Sports The Open—to the event for the whole week.
- Canada: TSN usually handles the load, mirroring much of what NBC does but with their own flair.
- Australia: Fox Sports and Kayo are your best bets.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Broadcast
The biggest misconception is that "Live Coverage" means you’re seeing everything. It doesn't.
Because of the massive field size in the first two rounds, the TV cameras physically cannot cover 156 players. They focus on the "marquee" groups—the Scottie Schefflers and Rory McIlroys of the world. If a qualifier from the Asian Tour is lighting it up on the back nine at 4:00 AM, you might only see a highlight clip thirty minutes later.
This is where the "Live Leaderboard" on the official app becomes your best friend. You track the red numbers there, and then you hunt for the stream that matches.
Another weird quirk? The "Main Feed" versus the "World Feed."
NBC often uses their own commentators for the afternoon slots, but early in the morning, you might be listening to the European production team. Many fans actually prefer the European feed. It tends to be a bit more reserved. Fewer shouts of "Get in the hole!" from the gallery and more technical talk about ball flight and wind direction.
Technical Requirements for 4K Viewing
We're in 2026. If you aren't watching in 4K, are you even watching?
NBC has been slow to roll out 4K for every single hole, but usually, the "Featured Holes" on Peacock are available in higher bitrates. You’ll need a device that supports it—think Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra, or a high-end Sony/Samsung smart TV. Just remember that 4K streaming eats bandwidth. If your Wi-Fi is shaky, you'll get that annoying buffering wheel right as someone is lining up a championship-winning putt. Hardwire that Ethernet cable if you can.
Actionable Steps for the Best Viewing Experience
To make sure you don't miss a single stroke of the 154th Open, do these three things right now. First, check your Peacock subscription status. Don't wait until Thursday morning at 2:00 AM to realize you forgot your password or your card on file expired.
Second, download The Open's official app. It is consistently rated as one of the best apps in sports. It has a built-in player that often shows clips of every single shot made by every player within minutes of it happening. It’s the perfect companion to the big screen.
Finally, set your DVR for the USA Network windows. Because the time difference is so brutal for American viewers, you’re going to want the ability to fast-forward through the fluff when you wake up at a reasonable hour. Golf is great, but 3:00 AM is for the birds.