
LIV Golf, ahead of its second season, made history on Thursday.
The Saudi Arabia-backed league and The CW Network have announced an agreement on an exclusive multi-year television deal, starting in the 2023 season. It becomes the first television broadcast deal for LIV Golf, which last season was limited to streaming. digital on its official website and on YouTube.
As part of the deal, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, viewers can also watch matches on the CW app. The network will air 14 events for the second season of LIV. The first rounds of the 2023 schedule will not be broadcast live on television, according to the announcement, but will instead be available for streaming on the app. The second and third rounds will be broadcast live on TV and via the app on Saturdays and Sundays.

Here’s everything you need to know about the arrangement.
What is CW?
The CW Network is an American television network majority owned by Nexstar Media Group with a 75% ownership. The network offers a variety of sports and entertainment options.
“For The CW, our partnership with LIV Golf marks a significant milestone in our goal to re-engineer the network with quality, diverse programming for our viewers, advertisers and CW affiliates,” said Dennis Miller, president of the network, Thursday. fair in a statement. declaration. “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.”
The CW’s broadcast team for LIV Golf events will include Arlo White (play-by-play), David Feherty and Jerry Foltz (booth analysts) and Dom Boulet, Su-Ann Heng and Troy Mullins (course coverage and reporting features).
Why was a TV contract important for LIV Golf?
Since its inception, LIV Golf executives have pursued an exclusive television deal with a US network as a key element in its growth strategy. LIV Golf continues to compete with the PGA Tour and has sought to cut market share from the long-established golf league.
According to ESPN, however, the deal is a revenue-sharing one, in which The CW will not pay the league for rights fees and LIV will not pay the network for airtime. ESPN also reported that the LIV Golf will continue to pay for production costs, which it also did in 2022.
“This is an important day for LIV Golf as this partnership is about more than just media rights,” LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement. “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.”
Last season, Golfweek reported that LIV Golf was close to a deal in which it would pay Fox Sports for airtime on its affiliate network, Fox Sports 1.
What are the opening times for LIV Golf?
The full schedule for the 2023 LIV Golf season, which will include 14 tournaments, has yet to be announced, although several dates have already been set. The current schedule is as follows:
February 24th to 26th
El Camaleón de Mayakoba (Mexico)
March 17th to 19th
The Gallery Golf Club (Tucson, Arizona)
April 21st to 23rd
The Grange Golf Club (Adelaide, Australia)
April 28th to 30th
The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club (Singapore)
May 12th to 14th
Cedar Ridge Country Club (Tulsa, Okla.)
June 30th to July 2nd
Real Club Valderrama (Spain)
August 4th to 6th
The Greenbrier (White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia)
Which golfers are scheduled to play at LIV Golf in 2023?
Among the players scheduled to participate in the 2023 LIV Golf Invitational Series are:
Phil Mickelson
Brooks Koepka
Dustin Johnson
Bryson DeChambeau
Sergio Garcia
Cam Smith
Bubba Watson
Louis Oosthuizen
Ian Poulter
Martin Kaymer
Lee Westwood
Patrick Reed
charl schwartzel
Talor Gooch
Why is LIV Golf so controversial?
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign investment fund and one of the largest in the world, supported and is financing LIV Golf Investments, parent company of LIV Golf. As Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is the head of the PIF. According to a declassified US intelligence report released in February 2021, Salman approved an operation “to capture or kill” Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
The Saudi government is accused of other human rights violations and has invested in Western athletic opportunities in an apparent attempt to improve its image, a practice known as “sports laundering”.
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