LIV Golf announces TV partnership with The CW network
Saudi-funded LIV Golf has a television partner five weeks before the start of its second season, announcing Thursday it has an agreement with The CW to air tournaments on the weekend and stream the first rounds on The CW's app.
A U.S. television deal was seen as critical for the rival league, which last year was available only through streaming on its website and on YouTube.
The next season of LIV Golf League, with an emphasis on the 12 four-man teams it hopes to create as franchises, starts Feb. 24-26 on the Gulf coast of Mexico at Mayakoba, which hosted a fall PGA Tour event.
“This is a momentous day for LIV Golf as this partnership is about more than just media rights,” LIV CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement. “The CW will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners as their reach includes more than 120 million households across the United States.”
LIV Golf did not disclose details of the partnership, but several media outlets have reported that The CW will not pay for media rights to LIV Golf in the traditional sense, nor would it buy time on the network. Instead, the proposed agreement would be to share advertising revenue.
LIV also said it would be producing the coverage with its own team.
The CW is the fifth-largest U.S. network and of those five has the second-youngest audience based on media age, trailing only Fox.
The network dates to 2006 and was named after its founding co-owners (CBS and Warner Bros.). Nexstar Media Group acquired 75% of the network in October, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery maintaining minority ownership.
NBC (and Golf Channel) and CBS have a nine-year rights deal with the PGA Tour, while ESPN won the right for its digital rights under the new contract, along...