Will LIV Golf be picked up by an international sports broadcaster?

Since its inception in June 2022, the LIV Golf Series has done nothing other than divide the professional game. Some might argue that this is an overly critical view of the rebel league but the fact is that the landscape of professional golf is now unrecognisable from what it was at the start of the year. In addition to that, the game’s biggest names are at war with one another with public mud-slinging matches taking place on what feels like a week-to-week basis.

Perhaps most incredible still is that the public has very little idea about what actually goes on during a LIV event, despite it being one of the most aggressively bankrolled enterprises in sports history.

This is exclusively down to the fact that the breakaway league hasn’t been picked up by an international sports broadcaster. The rebel competition remains a leper in the sporting world but the question is, will this change?

People love golf

The short answer is that it depends on how popular this tour becomes. This is better explained by ExpressVPN’s streaming infographic, which reveals what sports the UK public enjoys streaming the most. Their search compilation for the five top sports over the last five years indicates that behind football, golf is the most in-demand when it comes to streaming.

But how does this affect LIV Golf’s ongoing battle to pen a deal with the various sports broadcasters that will begin providing them with a return on their investment? It’s quite simple, the networks will only take a principled stance for as long as it suits them.

🗣️ “They shouldn’t be here. They’re taking spots away from players who really need spots this week.”

Rory McIlroy believes that players who have signed up to the LIV tour shouldn’t have been allowed to compete at the recent BMW PGA championship. pic.twitter.com/ddBSYsm7LU

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 7, 2022

For instance, if all of the world’s best players take up membership with the LIV Series then you can be certain that people will get around the negotiating table to thrash out a deal.

Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood at the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok

Every sports broadcaster has a price

Put another way, the likes of Sky and CBS Sports are purely in the business to give viewers what they want, as opposed to being a moral compass on complex international issues. At this stage, you are probably wondering why these broadcasters have then been so hostile to the idea of LIV Golf if they may one day collaborate together.

Again, it’s quite simple; both companies have paid huge amounts to secure the rights to broadcast the PGA Tour whose relevance is directly threatened by LIV Golf’s existence. In essence, it wouldn’t make commercial sense for the networks who have paid eye-watering amounts to air the PGA Tour, to now begin advertising a tournament that threatens to see their initial investment go up in smoke.

Will Zalatoris shares his thoughts LIV Golf money

(via @GrahamBensinger) pic.twitter.com/djLBq9sg8i

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) September 17, 2022

Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that these broadcasters have deep coffers and that there always comes a time to cut one’s losses when the writing is on the wall.

Whether they do will depend on the clamour from the public to air the LIV Series, alongside how many more big names this new enterprise manages to sign up. Is it merely a matter of time? It depends on who you ask but for now, the broadcasters have hedged their bets on the demise of this rebel league.