LIV Golf has reached a multi-year U.S. broadcast television and streaming deal with The CW Network to air live tournaments, tour officials announced Thursday.
According to the news release, The CW will air each of LIV Golf’s 14 international events next season on its cable network channel and the CW app.
“This is a very important day for LIV Golf as this partnership goes beyond media rights,” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said in a statement. “The CW offers reach to our fans and greater exposure to our athletes and partners because their reach includes more than 120 million households across the United States. We are very proud to see how important the league has become. It has secured a one-year distribution deal for the first full season of the league.”
The second LIV golf season is scheduled for February 24-26 at the El Camaleon Golf Course in Mayacoba, Mexico. LIV Golf has announced venues for just seven of the 14 tournaments planned for 2023. The full schedule for 2023 is expected to be announced in the coming days.
According to the release, the second and third rounds of the LIV weekend tournaments will be broadcast live on The CW and the CW app on Saturday and Sunday. The opening round will air on The CW App.
Financial terms of the deal were not released. Sources told ESPN it’s a revenue-sharing arrangement, and LIV Golf will not receive rights payments from the CW network and will continue to pay production costs as it did during the 2022 season opener.
“Our new partnership between The CW and LIV Golf will deliver an entirely new audience and add to the league’s growing international excitement,” CW Network President Dennis Miller said in a statement. “Through CW broadcasts and streams, more fans across the country and around the world can participate in the power of LIV Golf and experience the innovative competition that has redefined the sport for players, fans and the game of golf.”
The CW, which has 14 hours of prime-time programming each day, is majority owned by Nexstar Media Group, the nation’s largest local television and media company. The CW is the home of exclusive broadcasts for major sports for the first time.
“The CW and majority owner Nexstar Media Group recognize the great interest and potential for our league and with their support, more fans will experience the energy and innovative competition that LIV Golf uses to revitalize the sport,” said Norman. press release. “The CW is a world-class media partner, and we are honored to join forces to bring LIV Golf even more to life as they stake their claim in professional sports.”
LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has been in talks with Fox Sports to broadcast the tournament on FS1 or FS2, and LIV Golf is said to pay for the airtime.
