What LIV Golf’s TV deal means | Golf News and Tour Information

LIV Golf hails it as a victory. LIV detractors view it as defeat. Those polar responses should not surprise; the past year of civil war in professional golf has proven reality

varies depending on the beholder. To an extent that sentiment applies to LIV’s recent announcement of a multiyear media agreement with The CW network, a deal which brings the

Saudi-backed circuit to a traditional television platform in the United States.Yet the true consequence of this LIV development doesn’t hinge on one’s opinion, but more of the

question it is trying to answer. “There's a lot of different ways to look at it,” says Patrick Rishe, the founding director of the sports business program at Washington

University, “and I guess it depends on one's perspective as it relates to anything that has to do with LIV versus the PGA Tour. The broader issue is, ‘What is the ultimate goal

here?’” During its inaugural season, LIV Golf was available on broadcast and cable television in more than 150 territories across the world, a nod to the fledgling league’s

ambition to be an international entity. However, in the United States—where the majority of its tournaments were held and boasting the largest golf consumer audience—LIV could

only be seen on YouTube, Facebook or LIV Golf’s website. Though media consumption is dramatically evolving with more platforms and choices than ever before, a streaming-only deal

hampered LIV Golf’s reach. Most sports, and especially golf, are still watched in traditional, linear fashion. It’s one of the reasons sports rights are so expensive: They are

one of the few programs watched as scheduled. Nearly all of the major television subsidiaries in the U.S. showed little to no interest in LIV Golf in its first few months of

launch, sources told Golf Digest. The one wildcard was the Fox Corporation due to its ties with the LIV operation. Fox founder and media tycoon Rubert Murdoch has a personal

relationship with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman; the two attempted to create a “World Golf Tour'' in the mid-1990s, with Murdoch’s Fox Sports securing the TV rights. In January

2022, LIV Golf hired former Fox Sports President David Hill to help with production, and the right-leaning Fox News had a heavy presence at LIV Golf’s third event held at former

President Trump’s Bedminster property. In the fall, reports emerged Fox Sports was in discussions with LIV Golf. However, multiple sources told Golf Digest talks broke down over

rights fees, as LIV Golf viewed a media deal as a revenue generator while Fox Sports insisted on being paid for showing the product similar to an ad-buy. Into the void, CW emerged.