LIV Golf is looking for a new television partner, and the Saudi golf league may just find one in Fox Sports.

In its first two years of existence, LIV Golf has had way more success disrupting the professional golf scene than it has gaining any real traction on their own. In signing a number of top stars with huge contracts worth billions of dollars, LIV has attracted major winners like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson.

But that has not translated into television ratings. LIV Golf still falls far behind PGA Tour viewership and their CW ratings were often the subject of punchlines rather than press releases touting their audience figures. Nothing has symbolized LIV’s failure to make an impact on the American sports scene quite like one of their tournaments getting bumped for various infomercials around the country when their broadcast window went long in May 2023.

But apparently, the lack of viewership and sportswashing questions that loom over the Saudi golf league is not deterring Fox Sports from getting involved and possibly giving LIV Golf a second life.

According to Josh Carpenter at Sports Business Journal, LIV and Fox are in “high level discussions” about a television deal that would bring the tournaments to Fox networks. Executives from both companies have met up in Las Vegas at the upcoming golf match between PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler and LIV stars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

At this time it is unknown when and where tournaments would air or even if there would be a rights fee involved. LIV had originally signed a two year deal with The CW with an additional optional year based on viewership. That deal did not involve a rights fee and saw LIV Golf pick up production costs while the two sides shared ad revenue.

Clearly, if LIV Golf is in talks with Fox, that option was not renewed. And if the Saudi golf league wasn’t able to secure a rights fee from The CW… and the CW chose to walk away… it’s extremely difficult to see any company, even one that splashes cash around like Fox, willing to pay any kind of dollar amount for a television deal.

As for the potential relationship between the two sides, it does make sense in this regard – Fox has been without golf since their USGA deal came to an end a few years ago. And with most of the other major networks aside from WBD involved with the PGA Tour, LIV doesn’t have too many logical landing places. Although with the Saudi investment in DAZN and reports that they may be the shock winner for Women’s World Cup rights, perhaps that is the fail safe option.

If Fox can air more live sports inventory across Fox, FS1, and FS2 for next to nothing, then they quite literally have nothing to lose. And given the relationship between the Murdochs and the Saudi Royal Family, there’s likely no qualms about the moral implications of supporting a sportswashing endeavor either.

[Sports Business Journal]