LIV Golf reaches deal to broadcast events on CW Network

Nexstar Media Group Inc. said it reached a multiyear deal with LIV Golf to broadcast the league on its CW Network, the broadcast network it acquired majority control of last year.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

For LIV Golf, a partnership with the CW will give it the potential to reach a wide audience. The first event is scheduled for Feb. 24 to Feb. 26 in Mexico. Until now, LIV events have been available online free, including in the U.S. on YouTube.

LIV Golf Chief Executive and Commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement that the deal “will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners."

The success of the partnership will be a primary factor in determining LIV Golf’s financial viability. Since LIV Golf launched last year, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund has committed at least $2 billion to the rebel golf circuit, but it has lacked the main revenue drivers of major professional sports—lucrative media rights and sponsorship deals.

To lure golfers such as Mr. Mickelson, Mr. Johnson and last year’s British Open champion, Cameron Smith, LIV has offered record-breaking prize funds at its tournaments and lucrative appearance fees. By poaching players from the PGA Tour, the Saudi-backed league has created a fissure in the sport.

LIV and the PGA Tour are locked in a court battle that is growing increasingly contentious. LIV and a handful of players are suing the Tour for allegedly violating antitrust law and behaving as a monopolist to dominate the professional golf industry. The Tour has countersued, accusing LIV of interfering with its deals in its mission to take over the sport, and has suspended the players that have bolted to the Saudi-backed upstart for violating their contracts.

Critics of LIV, including politicians and activists, have dubbed the enterprise as an exercise in “sportswashing"—or using the halo effect of a popular sport to improve Saudi Arabia’s public image.

LIV has responded by saying its mission is to grow the game of golf globally with a new format to engage fans. Its tournaments feature 54 holes, instead of the traditional 72, with limited fields and a team element.

In LIV’s inaugural season in 2022, its commercial success was scant. While the tournaments were free to watch online, tickets were widely available for cheap sums. LIV has also struggled to find sponsors thus far. The real-estate developer ROSHN sponsored a LIV tournament, but ROSHN is also backed by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

LIV’s options for a U.S. media rights partner were limited. CBS, NBC and ESPN have deals with LIV’s rival, the PGA Tour. Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., which have begun buying the rights to live sports, had turned down LIV, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The CW Network, which has been primarily known for programming teen and young-adult dramas, will air 14 LIV Golf events on its broadcast stations on weekends and stream them on the CW’s app as well. Friday LIV events won’t be broadcast but will be available on the CW app.

The decision to align itself with LIV Golf is the latest sign that Nexstar, owns 75% of the CW Network, is planning an overhaul of the network.

CW Network President Dennis Miller said in a statement that the deal is a “significant milestone in our goal to re-engineer the network." Nexstar executives have said their goal is to attract an older audience to the network that is more in line with the viewers of its local television stations. Nexstar is the nation’s largest owner of local TV stations.

Nexstar has been expanding further into the content business. Besides taking control of the CW Network, it also owns the cable news channel NewsNation and political news outlet The Hill.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text