Liv Golf is on the move, leaving The CW for a new multiyear rights deal with Fox Sports.
It is a major upgrade in terms of broadcast reach for the upstart golf league, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
LIV says that more than half of its schedule will be televised on the Fox broadcast network or Fox Sports 1, with FS2 and Fox Business Network also carrying some matches. LIV Golf will continue to produce the events itself, with its own broadcast team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The addition of Fox Business Network as a LIV channel also pushes sports programming to parts of the Fox portfolio where they haven’t gone before. FBN has also simulcast Fox Weather in recent months.
As The Hollywood Reporter noted last year, there is a push to bring sports to more and more channels across the cable portfolio in order to keep them “essential” to the pay-TV bundle.
LIV was created as a competitor to the PGA Tour, and lured a number of top golfers to its stable with guaranteed deals worth tens of millions of dollars, or in some cases even more. It struggled to gain a foothold in the U.S., however, with current PGA TV partners reluctant to sign on.
That led to the deal with The CW two years ago, which not only brought LIV to broadcast TV, but kickstarted the Nexstar-owned channel’s push into live sports.
Since then, the PGA and LIV agreed to merge, though that deal is still far from complete, with both sides figuring out logistics.
“We are thrilled to partner with Fox Sports, one of the preeminent broadcast networks in the world,” said LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil. “LIV Golf is getting bigger and bolder, and this relationship signals the next phase of growth as our League joins the company of the nation’s premier sports leagues and conferences. I want to thank the Fox Sports team who share our vision for the future of golf, a new model that is redefining how the sport is experienced. LIV Golf is drawing a younger, more active and tech-savvy fan base, and as our players and teams prepare for LIV Golf’s biggest season yet, this agreement will take our broadcast to new heights.”
Added Jordan Bazant, evp of Fox Sports, “Fox Sports is excited to broadcast the LIV Golf League, showcasing athletes at the top of their game competing at an elite level for viewers across the nation. The addition of LIV Golf is a natural fit for Fox Sports’ prominent slate of big events, world-class names and premium sports coverage.”
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