LIV Golf reached a multi-year broadcast deal with Fox Sports earlier this month, marking a major milestone for the Saudi-backed circuit.
The network will show all three rounds of LIV’s 14 events live in the United States with “more than half” of the rounds being aired on Fox or FS1 (others will be on FS2, Fox Business and the Fox Sports App).
The move should increase the league’s exposure several times over. FS1 is the most-carried cable sports network in the U.S., reaching slightly more households than ESPN. Fox was the fourth most-watched channel overall in the U.S. last year.
It’s a huge step up in brand awareness as sports fans from around the world will be getting more LIV ads and other promotions. Compare that with LIV’s previous broadcast partner, the CW—a network known more for teenage dramas than sports—and it’s no contest.
Getting on this kind of stage is a gargantuan opportunity.
On top of that, the multi-year TV deal reaffirms that LIV is serious about being in the golf ecosystem for years to come. The recent announcement of new CEO Scott O’Neil—a former executive in the NBA and NHL—further cements that LIV is transitioning from a disruptor to a more permanent fixture.
Credit where credit is due: LIV needed a better TV deal than a revenue share with the CW.
Now it has one.
In fairness, it’s hard to judge if it’s a home run based on the murkiness of the financials. John Ourand of Puck reported that Fox was paying a “modest” rights fee to LIV which is also undertaking all production costs. (Ourand speculated that Fox’s motive for signing with LIV could be related to how the network is in the running for the rights to the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia.)
Reading between the lines, this is not exactly the PGA Tour’s TV deal which brings in about $700 million annually until 2030. LIV hasn’t earned anything like that based on its woeful ratings—just cracking 100,000 viewers has proved to be a challenge.
Regardless, LIV will have the chance to be in front of more eyeballs now.
There are no more excuses for LIV
We’re entering LIV’s fourth season.
There are no more built-in excuses for the low viewership and fan apathy.
There is no more “wait until I get my money right,” as Kanye would say.
If LIV is going to make any meaningful dent as an entertainment product, it should be happening by the end of this year.
The player roster is established. Everyone knows who is playing. No top player has joined since Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton jumped ship last year. Recent additions include the likes of Ben Campbell, Max Lee, Frederik Kjettrup, Yubin Jang and perhaps promising 22-year-old Tom McKibbin—there are no head-turners on that list unless you believe McKibbin is the next Rory McIlroy.
There also aren’t many (or perhaps any) PGA Tour players who can come to LIV and make a real difference at this point. The ones who might be able to attract more attention probably would have left already if they wanted to. Even if a prominent player did leave for LIV, I’m not sure how much it would matter.
LIV’s had four years to learn how to set its schedule with, more or less, the same group of players. It has a seasoned veteran CEO at the helm instead of the divisive Greg Norman. The infrastructure is in place. Their social media efforts are impressive as they close in on one million Instagram followers. They have just signed Rick Shiels and are investing heavily in YouTube. Their tournaments are going to be on a notable TV network that is accessible to virtually everyone. The PGA Tour is vulnerable as interest decreases. TGL has been passable but underwhelming. LIV has the most popular golfer not named Tiger Woods.
If LIV can’t gain traction in this environment, I’m not sure it can ever gain traction—barring some unforeseen seismic change after a deal with the Tour.
For that reason, the pressure meter is going up significantly.
LIV has burned through billions. Even though its backers have bottomless bank accounts, there has to be a return on that investment at some point.
The product will be in front of more people but what is going to make fans stay beyond a fleeting glance?
That is the question with which O’Neil and LIV have to grapple as the league embarks on its 2025 campaign next week in Saudi Arabia. Audience challenges have existed dating back to the first tournament in June 2022—and that event was on YouTube, arguably the most accessible app in the world.
Among the obstacles for grabbing the attention of TV viewers: the first four tournaments of this year will be overseas and the final three tournaments will coincide with the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour.
Yes, it’s fun to attend an event in person—but the success or failure of any sports league ultimately comes down to TV ratings and corporate sponsorship.
LIV has made slight progress on the sponsorship side—Rahm recently revealed that Callaway is sponsoring his Legion XII team—but has a steep hill to climb on the viewership side, even with the Fox partnership.
The most pressing concern? There is almost no intrigue around LIV. The novelty of the controversy is gone and the golf itself is caught between a serious competition (wanting major qualification for winners, fighting for OWGR points, etc.) and totally unserious (pumping music throughout the course during play, creating a relegation system with no meaning, etc.).
TGL may or may not work in the end, but it is at least a swing at something completely different. Compare that with LIV which hastily put together random teams playing invitational exhibition golf in a traditional golf setting. The broadcast being shown and the golf being played is almost indistinguishable from the Tour.
If LIV is going to take advantage of more exposure, people need to be entertained.
Some might contend that the move to sign Shiels and gravitate more to YouTube is a part of that plan, but the core product has yet to prove that it’s entertaining enough golf fans.
Will a change in exposure be enough to turn the tide?
I don’t think it will. I’m betting the ratings will see a modest bump but LIV will continue to toil in relative obscurity.
No matter what, we will know more by the end of this season.
There is nowhere left for LIV to hide.
Top Photo Caption: Jon Rahm admires his championship ring after winning the LIV Individual Championship. (GETTY IMAGES/Ben Hsu)
Niun
1 year ago
I still believe LIV is a failed product. Viewership will most likely increase with the Fox deal but will not last. Attendance will not increase. Fox interest in broadcasting the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia is no small factor in the deal. Finally, before Rahm defected he signed a long term deal with Callaway that included part ownership. Perhaps that has something to do with Callaway sponsorship of Rahm’s Legion 13 team.