LIV Golf nears TV deal, now ready to take on PGA

Saudi-backed LIV Golf is equipped to compete with the PGA Tour now that the upstart league has found a TV partner.

Sports Illustrated reported that LIV Golf and the CW Network are nearing a TV deal. Terms were not disclosed, but sources told SI that the deal would be revenue-sharing based. CW is available in 220 U.S. markets.

The upstart league has drawn the ire of the PGA Tour. Several of the world’s top golfers have joined the LIV Tour after being offered big bucks. The league also has large payouts for its tournaments.

The PGA suspended established golfers who joined LIV Golf, leading to lawsuits over their bans.

The budding rivalry with LIV Golf also led the PGA to increase prize payouts at several events, with 12 tournaments now having a purse of $20 million, according to the BBC.

While the LIV Golf deal with CW Network is not expected to be close to the PGA’s annual $600 million TV windfall, according to GOLF, it is still a big step for the upstart league looking to grow its footprint.

“We have a great platform that really should be shown to the world. When we go internationally, we are applauded and accepted and everybody wants to see us,” LIV CEO Greg Norman recently told GOLF. “So here in the United States, it was obviously a very critical point to our business plan to make sure we do get on TV and we will get on TV.”

With a TV partner and some of the biggest names on board, LIV Golf can make a run at being a serious competitor to the PGA. It could be the largest legit competition to an established sports league since the USFL’s heyday going toe-to-toe with the NFL.