NEW YORK — The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League is nearing a TV deal with The CW Network, according to multiple reports.
Though the Saudis poured billions of dollars into the breakaway golf league to lure star talent away from the PGA Tour, they couldn’t secure a television contract for the inaugural season.
But the CW partnership, which has not been officially announced, will run for multiple years, sources told Sports Illustrated.
Golf analyst David Feherty, who jumped to LIV Golf last year, dropped a hint about the deal at his stand-up comedy show in West Palm Beach, Fla., last Thursday, the Palm Beach Post reported.
“Have you heard of CW?” he said, according to the outlet. “I might get fired for this, but …”
The CW is better known for syndicated TV shows and sparse original programming, such as “All American” and “Riverdale.” The Nexstar Media-owned network is available in 220 markets, including New York’s WPIX. Though WPIX aired 25 Mets games in 2022, other CW channels nationwide currently offer no sports programming.
After years of rumors, LIV Golf barged onto the scene in 2022 and signed big-name talent away from the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
However, major TV networks avoided the upstart tour like the plague. It could only be viewed on YouTube and LIVGolf.com, and its ratings were terrible despite the big star power.
