Official: The CW, LIV Golf Agree to Multi-Year Broadcasting Deal Beginning Next Month
What was once a rumor is now a reality — LIV Golf is coming to The CW.
Nexstar Media Group, the media conglomerate that now owns the majority of The CW announced the move on Thursday. The CW will air 14 global LIV Golf League live events in 2023. Opening-round coverage on Fridays will be exclusively found on The CW App, with the weekend broadcasts airing live on Saturdays and Sundays on The CW.
The LIV on-air announce team will remain the same as during its inaugural season when the tournaments were aired only the LIV website and YouTube. Arlo White will return as the lead play-by-play announcer alongside analysts David Feherty and Jerry Foltz in the booth. Dom Boulet, Su-Ann Heng, and Troy Mullins will provide coverage on the course and in feature segments.
“Our new partnership between The CW and LIV Golf will deliver a whole new audience and add to the growing worldwide excitement for the league,” said Dennis Miller (no, not that Dennis Miller) president of The CW Network. “With CW’s broadcasts and streams, more fans across the country and around the globe can partake in the LIV Golf energy and view its innovative competition that has reimagined the sport for players, fans, and the game of golf. For The CW, our partnership with LIV Golf marks a significant milestone in our goal to re-engineer the network with quality, diversified programming for our viewers, advertisers, and CW affiliates. This also marks the first time in The CW’s 17-year history that the network is the exclusive broadcast home for live mainstream sports.”
Earlier this week Feherty accidentally leaked the news of the two sides coming together for a broadcast deal, the first of its kind for the Saudi-backed golf organization. Many media entities were unwilling to partner with LIV Golf for a variety of reasons. ESPN, CBS, and NBC have existing PGA Tour partnerships and were not willing to jeopardize them for additional golf coverage. Many others are uneasy about partnering with an organization that is primarily funded by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, due to the country’s human rights violations and the assassination of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Either Nexstar received a Godfather-type offer from MBS, or the organization decided that the short-term backlash was worth the long-term cash flow. The agreement’s financial terms were not disclosed.
“This is a momentous day for LIV Golf as this partnership is about more than just media rights. The CW’s nationwide reach as America’s fifth broadcast network, will provide accessibility for our fans and maximum exposure for our athletes and partners,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of the league “The CW recognizes the enormous interest in and potential of our league and with their support, more fans will experience the energy and innovative competition that LIV Golf is using to reinvigorate the sport. The CW is a world-class media partner, and we are honored to be joining forces to further bring LIV Golf to life as they stake their claim in professional sports.”
The LIV Golf season begins Feb. 24-26 at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón in Mexico, and you’ll be able to watch the action live on The CW.