> They lose rights because they can't meet the prices paid by the Commercial channels who have far greater budgets
No, they lose rights because they do little to support the sport compared to Sky.
I watch golf every week of the year on Sky. I can watch men's golf, women's golf, pro golf, amateur golf, European golf, PGA Golf, seniors golf, and so on. The BBC shows hardly any golf and, when it does, cherry picks the top tournaments.
This afternoon I would like to listen to golf, but is the BBC doing a dedicated radio broadcast for those who can't get to a TV screen? No! Simply mixing up golf with Radio Five "rolling news and sport". A real waste.