According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Tiger Woods "has signed a deal with Discovery, Inc., that will offer behind-the-scenes access on GOLFTV, the PGA Tour's new global streaming partner."  

Stewart Clarke of Variety noted that the "OTT service will tee off around the world at the beginning of 2019 and have live PGA Tour coverage."

He also quoted GOLFTV Executive Vice President Alex Kaplan, who said the goal is to "create global ecosystem for golf, a one-stop shop for golf fans."

As the AP noted, "it plans to collaborate with Woods on a wide range of programming designed to give viewers a closer look into Woods' practice routines, life on the tour and some instruction."

"I want to talk to golf fans and golfers everywhere, directly, and straight from me," Woods said. "That's important to me, talking about what we care about. What's happening on the course, how to play better, how can I shoot lower scores tomorrow, how can I beat my friends?"

Adding Woods to its content package is a clear win for Discovery Inc. and GOLFTV. He's been one of the most popular athletes on the planet since he won the 1997 Masters, and he is routinely a television ratings booster.

Gerry Smith of Bloomberg reported in September that ratings for the Tour Championship, which Woods won, more than tripled from last year.

In person, there's clearly a different atmosphere on the course when Woods is playing, as noted by Zak Keefer for USA Today on an August Saturday during the PGA Championship. 

Woods fell just short of a major win there, and Keefer wrote that the gallery experienced "the Tiger Effect in full—mammoth galleries, booming roars, the greatest of his generation reaching back and delivering yet another sizzling Saturday."

He's also the most popular golfer on Twitter by far, with over six million followers. For context, Rory McIlroy is second overall, and he has fewer than half of Woods' followers (3.18 million).

Woods has maintained a massive following of passionate fans despite playing only one tournament from 2016-2017. That could help get the GOLFTV streaming service off to a successful start.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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