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How to watch the Masters 2013: BBC vs Sky vs Virgin vs TalkTalk vs BT

The first Major golf tournament of the year isn’t just a face-off between the world’s best for the Green Jacket, it’s also another sporting head-to-head for the BBC and Sky.

As with Formula 1, Sky has grabbed the full live rights to the entire event from practice onwards, leaving the BBC with live radio coverage, and live coverage from Friday to Sunday.

Golf aficionados will this year be looking at Bubba Watson defending his title, but the popular gaze will be on a resurgent Tiger Woods and the UK’s own Rory McIlroy.

Competitive play in the 77th Masters kicks off on Wednesday, April 10, in the Par 3 Contest, but it’s on Thursday afternoon – morning in Augusta – that the real action will begin.

BBC: Masters 2013 live at the climax

A long association with the Augusta Masters continues on BBC Two and now BBC Two HD, as Hazel Irvine anchors the live TV coverage and highlights, with commentary from Peter Alliss, Ken Brown, Andrew Cotter and Wayne Grady. Rishi Persad provides reports from on the course.

Mark Chapman will host BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage alongside correspondent Iain Carter, commentators John Murray and Alistair Bruce-Ball, and expert analysts Andrew Magee and Jay Townsend.

How to watch the Masters 2013: BBC vs Sky
Hazel Irvine anchors the BBC’s Masters 2013 campaign

BBC TV

Coverage starts on Wednesday with the 2013 Masters Preview at 11:20pm. Thursday’s play and Friday morning are covered in highlights at 6:30pm. Friday’s play gets a roundup in highlights on the Red Button from 9am-10am, and from 2:15pm on BBC One (+HD).

Live coverage begins on BBC Two (+HD) on Saturday, April 13, from 7.30pm-midnight, and starts again on Sunday, April 14, from 6:30pm-midnight. Amen Corner will be on the Red Button from 6:30pm-10pm on Saturday (Freeview  until 8pm), and 6.15pm-11pm on Sunday (Freeview 9pm-11pm).

BBC Radio

BBC Radio 5 Live tees off with its 2013 Masters Preview on Wednesday, April 10, at 9.30pm, and they’re live from 10pm on Thursday, continuing from 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 8pm on Sunday.

BBC Online

BBC Sport Online has full text commentary throughout the tournament, and on Saturday and Sunday will also show coverage of Amen Corner. This will switch to holes 15 and 16 when the final group is through the 13th.

The BBC Sport app

The BBC Sport app for iPhone and Android will show both live and on-demand coverage of the Masters as it’s available on TV and iPlayer, along with news, features and stats.

Sky Sports 1: The Masters 2013 play-by-play in HD and 3D

Sky Sports has total coverage of the Masters for the second year in a row, and this year has its first on-course commentator, as well as live 3D coverage on Sky 3D.

This year there’s also multi-screen live coverage across the key holes via the Red Button, Sky Sports for iPad app and online at SkySports.com.

How to watch the Masters 2013: BBC vs Sky
Sky has created another Masters-ful sports event

Masters 2013 Sky TV timings

All of the Masters 2013 coverage is on Sky 1 (+HD), unless indicated.

Wednesday, April 10: 

  • Par 3 live from 7pm

Thursday, April 11: 

  • Par 3 repeat from 11:15am
  • Day One live from 3.15pm on the Red Button
  • Day One live from 7pm on the main channel

Friday, April 12: 

  • Masters Breakfast from 9am
  • Day Two live from 3.15pm on the Red Button
  • Day Two live from 7pm on the main channel

Saturday, April 13: 

  • Masters Breakfast from 9am, repeated at 1pm
  • Day Three live from 4.15pm on the Red Button
  • Day Three live from 7pm on the main channel

Sunday, April 14

  • Masters Breakfast from 9am, repeated at 1pm
  • Day Four live from 4.15pm on the Red Button
  • Day Four live from 6pm on the main channel

How much does Sky Sports 1 cost?

It’s probably too late to order Sky, but existing customers can order Sky Sports 1 on its own for £13/month, or all five Sky Sports channels for £21/month. That’s on top of a minimum £21.50/month Entertainment Pack. Cheapest cost: £34.50/month.

If you want HD, that will cost an extra £10.25/month, to see Sky 3D you’ll need the entire Sky World package at £65.75/month.

Sky Sports for iPad app

The Sky Sports for iPad app has been beautifully reskinned for the Masters 2013, offering subscribers a split screen with a choice of holes and player groups with stats and highlights, video interviews and features, leaderboards and a curated Twitter feed.

Sky subscribers can also watch live on Sky Go, and non-Sky subscribers can also watch on the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android with the Sky Sports TV app, for £4.99/month.

Sky Sports on Now TV

Anyone can subscribe to the Sky Sports pack on Now TV for £9.99/day through a browser, iPhone, iPad, selected Android phones and tablets, Xbox 360 and Roku, but not on YouView.

Sky Sports F1 on Virgin Media and TalkTalk

Sky Sports F1 is also available on Virgin Media and TalkTalk – these are the basic prices but as ever, deals are available.

However, non-Sky customers cannot access the Sky Sports for iPad app as part of their subscription.

Virgin Media

Virgin Media viewers will need to take the Sky Sports Collection alongside their TV subscription, or packaged with broadband.

It costs £25.75 a month with the TV Size M+ package (from £14/month), L & XL – making a cheapest option of £39.75/month.

The cheapest option with broadband and phone is the Classic Collection, at £18/month plus £14.99/month line rental, plus Sky Sports for £31.25/month – totalling £64.24/month.

The Sky HD channels cost an extra £7/month with all Virgin Media TV packages.

TalkTalk TV

TalkTalk TV – YouView for TalkTalk broadband subscribers – is one of the most flexible ways to get Sky Sports for a short period. You’ll need TalkTalk Plus broadband, costing a minimum of £15.50/month plus £14.95/month line rental, and the Sky Sports package for £30/month.

That’s a hefty £60.45/month – but you can switch the Sky Sports package on and off month-by-month. There’s no HD option.

BT Vision

BT Vision does offer the Sky Sports channels, but only if you also have BT Infinity fibre broadband, and you must have a BT Vision+ box, not a YouView box. If you haven’t already got these, it’s probably too late.

Sky Sports 1 costs £15/month, plus £10 viewing card fee, and you must get BT Vision for at least 12 months and renew your broadband contract for 12 months. That’s a minimum of £48/month, although you can drop Sky Sports after a month.

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