Live golf has landed on The CW Network, which this year will air 14 LIV Golf events both on linear and streaming. The multi-year agreement marks the first live sports deal for The CW as well as the first time LIV Golf will be on U.S. broadcast TV.
Tournament action will kick off on February 24, when The CW will air the first event of the 2023 LIV Golf League season – Mayakoba’s El Camaleón in Mexico. Dates for seven events have been announced thus far, with LIV Golf to reveal the full tournament schedule in the coming weeks.
Weekend tournaments will air Saturdays and Sundays on The CW’s broadcast channel and The CW streaming app. The ad-supported app will also stream LIV events on Fridays.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nexstar Media Group, which owns a majority stake in The CW, previously expressed plans to improve profitability for the low-rated network – shifting away from original, scripted content.
The CW President Dennis Miller said the agreement “will deliver a whole new audience and add to the growing worldwide excitement for the league.”
“For The CW, our partnership with LIV Golf marks a significant milestone in our goal to re-engineer the network with quality, diversified programming for our viewers, advertisers and CW affiliates,” he stated.
LIV Golf, which had its inaugural tournament season last year, is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Critics of the league have called it a “sportswashing” maneuver, or an attempt to improve the country’s public image.
LIV Golf’s arrival in the broadcast space also pits it against the PGA Tour, which organizes most of the professional golf tours in North America. The two leagues are currently embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, with LIV Golf accusing the PGA Tour of monopolizing the domestic golf market.
In the U.S., the PGA Tour is partnered with NBC, CBS as well as NBC Sports’ Golf Channel. Media reports last fall suggested LIV Golf was nearing a broadcast deal with Fox Sports, but the league rebuffed those reports, stating at the time it was in “active discussions” with several companies for broadcast rights.
Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s CEO and commissioner, touted the CW deal will provide “maximum exposure” for the league’s athletes and partners.
“The CW recognizes the enormous interest in and potential of our league and with their support, more fans will experience the energy and innovative competition that LIV Golf is using to reinvigorate the sport,” said Norman in a statement.
LIV Golf has a few other distribution agreements under its plate. Last June it inked a global rights deal with DAZN as well as with a handful of other broadcasters abroad, including Eleven Sports and Sky Deutschland.
The PGA Tour meanwhile is further delving into the streaming space. In December the league launched a channel on Atmosphere’s ad-supported streaming service. Content from the PGA Tour is also available on ESPN+.