After two little-watched years on CW, LIV Golf has struck a deal with a more familiar partner.
Fox Sports announced Thursday that it has reached a multi-year deal with LIV Golf effective this coming season. According to reporting by John Ourand of Puck late last year, Fox is expected to pay a “modest” rights fee in a deal that will last at least two seasons.
Most rounds will air on either FOX or FS1, with additional coverage on FS2, Fox Business Network and the Fox Sports app. It is not clear how many events will air on the FOX broadcast network itself, which has NASCAR and IndyCar commitments throughout the spring and summer. Coverage will continue to be produced by LIV in-house.
LIV spent its first two full seasons airing on CW, a broadcast “netlet” that generally attracts fewer viewers than the “Big Four” of CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX. Any events on FOX should easily clear the minuscule audiences LIV generated on CW, but rounds on FS1, FS2 and Fox Business may well be at or below those levels.
The move to Fox Sports figures to legitimize LIV, which has struggled to gain widespread acceptance due to its ties to the Saudi government and its years-long clash with the more-established PGA TOUR. LIV’s Saudi ties are believed to be a factor in Fox Sports’ interest, as Ourand reported last year that the deal could be a way for Fox to build ties with a government that will be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034, rights to which have yet to be awarded.
The series begins its third season Super Bowl weekend from Saudi Arabia, the first of four-straight overseas tournaments to start the season. It makes its season debut in the United States on the first weekend of April, when FOX has neither NASCAR nor IndyCar scheduled.
