What happens to LIV Golf's deal with the CW at the end of 2023

Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

What happens to LIV Golf's deal with the CW at the end of the year?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 8/9/23

The future of LIV Golf is unclear at best, and that is especially true when it comes to its TV viewership and current deal.

Even as the Saudi Arabia-funded league claimed over the summer its tournaments were growing in popularity, its TV ratings on the CW continue to be kept from the public after the numbers for its first two events were so bad. LIV-positive fan accounts on social media insist that the rogue league has made the CW the greatest sports hub on the planet, but the relationship between the two entities remains ambiguous.

There is clearly a lot we don't know about LIV Golf and the CW going forward -- especially when it comes to the proposed merger between LIV Golf's backers and the PGA Tour.

How well is LIV Golf doing on the CW? Stations across the country cut away at 6:30 PM ET to regularly scheduled programming from Sunday's final round with four holes to go. In Miami, the local CW station started airing a syndicated episode of The Goldbergs. pic.twitter.com/SGSZvNQwS8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 15, 2023

Originally, it was reported that LIV Golf will remain on the CW even if a merger goes through. But there's more to the story than that, especially with how fluid things are in pro golf right now.

It should be understood that the two-year deal LIV Golf signed with the CW includes a "one-year option based on viewership," the Sports Business Journal reported back in January. At the time, LIV Golf was the only sports entity on the broadcaster, but more sports programming has been added during the window LIV hasn't been revealing the ratings for its tournaments. If other sports on the CW are garnering better viewership by the end of the year and a deal between the PGA Tour and the PIF is reached, would the CW flex that one-year option?

LIV Golf's TV future is even more interesting considering its 2024 schedule hasn't been released yet. It took Greg Norman's league a long time to release its schedule for 2023, and the task of scheduling is likely more difficult this year with the proposed merger hanging overhead. There is likely added pressure to not schedule LIV events on the same weekends as major PGA Tour events since it was already proven that the latter has better viewership.

For the time being, LIV Golf still has a home at the CW -- at least, until the end of the year. But the relationship between the two is worth keeping an eye on. If the CW feels the need to exercise its one-year option, LIV Golf could be on the hunt for a broadcast partner for the second time in its short existence.

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