LIV Golf reportedly has a media rights deal in the US, but it’s not with an outlet known for live sports.
Per a report from Front Office Sports, LIV’s US media rights deal is with…The CW. The report also states that LIV will continue producing the events, and is hunting for a separate streaming partner.
The multi-year agreement with the nation’s fifth-largest broadcast network is expected to be announced in the coming days, Front Office Sports has learned.
LIV will continue producing the events as it did in its first season, streamed on YouTube and on DAZN. Beyond the broadcast deal with CW, Saudi-backed LIV Golf continues to work on a separate streaming deal.
There was no immediate word on whether or not LIV will be getting a rights fee, or if this is a time buy. Last year, the league attempted to buy time on FS1 to air events. Given comments about profitability and “lower unscripted costs” made by new CW owner Nexstar over the summer, we can probably assume LIV is not getting a significant, or any, rights fee from The CW.
LIV’s David Feherty teased a media deal with The CW last week. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal also predicted LIV would go to The CW last month in his annual predictions column.
The CW doesn’t have much of a history with sports. The network aired WWE SmackDown in its early years after the merge of UPN and The WB, and will air an IndyCar docuseries called 100 Days to Indy in the spring, as announced last month.
Given The CW’s lack of attachment to sports, there probably won’t be much blowback from sports fans for airing LIV events. As for LIV, it’s a foot in the door on American TV, which is what the company craved, despite aiming high last year by talking to more sports-forward outlets. It’s a weird pairing, but the more you think about it, the more it seems like a logical fit.
