LIV Golf sign United States broadcast deal with Fox Sports

[Tim Martin]

Game changer?

[Sam Morrow]

More golf on easy to access TV, can't think of any negatives!

[MCirba]

Game changer?

I suspect not.


It's not difficult to access today for anyone.   It's just a crappy product.

[Chris Hughes]

More golf on easy to access TV, can't think of any negatives!

Agreed.


Significant upgrade on the distribution side.


Personally I've not attended a LIV event but a number of friends have with kids in tow and they uniformly rave about the experience. 


Australia and Hong Kong (among others) sure seem to love the concept...


...the Fox TV deal is a nice win for LIV Golf.

[Rob Marshall]

I’m shocked, but I won’t watch it. I barely watch golf anymore as it is.

[Kalen Braley]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

[Steve Lapper]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

  I am told there was major "consideration" made by LIV to Fox to ink this deal. Not sure if its cash or something else, or some combination of the two? The assignment of production costs are most probably in play here. The LIV #'s aren't yet (if ever?) compelling for a major sports distribution network like Fox to spend meaningful $$ to broadcast them.


 FWIW, I think this TV package is a minor deal that will likely be moot in the near future as LIV & the PGA Tour find a way to reconcile and merge inside the next 12 mos. It's highly likely DJT's new DoJ soon signals little appetite for any major Antitrust review and with the Senate firmly Republican, this will end up being announced near simultaneously by Riyadh, Ponte Vedra and The White House with the latter taking credit for it.

[Pierre_C]

I don't think the FOX partnership will change LIV's viewer numbers very much. LIV was averaging ~130,000 viewers per event day in 2024 - streaming & CW. FOX provides LIV access to a bigger media player with multiple access options, so I'd expect there will be a bump in viewer numbers but nothing dramatic.

Some details on the LIV - FOX partnership.

Reports FOX paid a "modest" fee to broadcast LIV events. In addition, LIV will use their own in-house broadcast team (camera, drones, stats, media, etc), this should reduce the overhead for FOX to air LIV events.

"Throughout the season, all three days of LIV Golf tournament competition will air live across the FOX family of networks, with more than half of the League’s schedule airing on FOX or FS1. Select rounds will air on FS2, FOX Business Network and the FOX Sports App, with nearly all of the LIV Golf season’s 210 hours of competition carried live across FOX Sports platforms. All LIV Golf coverage will also be streamed on the FOX Sports App and to LIV Golf+ app subscribers."

Source: https://www.livgolf.com/news/fox-sports-and-liv-golf-to-enter-multi-year-media-rights-agreement

[Tim_Cronin]

With the associated cable networks involved, as well as Fox's other sports programming, it will mean fewer hours over-the-air on Fox in 2025 than on CW in 2024 or 2023. However, if Fox puts Friday coverage on over-the-air (CW never covered Fridays) then there may be more hours.


The rights fee Fox is paying will help cover some of the considerable production costs. And LIV still controls all the production. Fox just plugs in to the worldwide feed.

[Ronald Montesano]

We will get to see all the fine golf courses of the VIL league.

[Chris Hughes]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

  I am told there was major "consideration" made by LIV to Fox to ink this deal.

Who "told" you that?

[V_Halyard]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

  I am told there was major "consideration" made by LIV to Fox to ink this deal.

Who "told" you that?

Tim Cronin and Steve are correct. And I assure you Steve is not guessing about facts if he is being "told".
Of course there was major "consideration". There is always major consideration in Network Sports Television. With the treasury of available cash being firehosed by gambling and sports betting, you will not get a network commitment without "consideration". Steve was being circumspect. There is a pile of cash supporting LIV on TV. To think otherwise is naive. Greg, Rupert, PIF, Lachlan and others presented and reviewed the "Considerations" and cut a deal. That is how we pay for things in media. Network Sports TV is not a hobby.

The LIV feed will come pre-packaged from LIV productions, which is not an unusual arrangement and occurs in many other sports. Formula One races are literally a drag and drop, 1 finger switch, button push pass thru set of retransmissions from SkyTV by ESPN.
Liberty Owns F1. Sky Pays Liberty, ESPN Pay Liberty and Sky. "Click" "Lights out and away we go."
Most Folks generally are unaware of these "ReTrans" deals and really don't care who actually "Produces" a program.  Many times even networks hire specialist production teams to produce network distributed programming.

Availability of LIV broadcasts will be determined by "protected slotting", which is in limited and coveted supply.
For discussion, let's review the original USGA deal with FOX that went in a fire sale to NBC/Golf Channel.
The original USGA-focused Golf team at FOX was innovative and was slowly, but substantively improving production value. They debuted innovative shot tracing, and other smaller things such as logically informed ad insertion. The Women's Open in Charleston showcased a variety of well thought out technologies  and alternative production strategies.

Then COVID hit.  We had the Masters in the fall... Wham. While ANGC can air whenever they deem appropriate, every other spring and summer heavy golf program began bouncing headlong into the NFL. This doomed it on Fox... much to the chagrin of folks that pay attention to production value.

I have not looked at the details of the LIV schedule, but rest assured, if it runs into high net revenue content, it will be subjected to an unwieldy schedule. They will bounce across the Fox family of channels like a basketball in a trampoline park.

[Tim_Cronin]

Well said, Vaughn.


Watching Fox's NFL broadcasts – as heavy a hitter as a network can have – I've noticed plenty of promotion for the Daytona 500 and also for the Indianapolis 500 (IndyCar moves from NBC to Fox this year), but not a second of blurbage for LIV. Make of that what you will. Perhaps this Sunday's NFC Championship or the Super Bowl will be different.

[Peter Sayegh]

I’m shocked, but I won’t watch it. I barely watch golf anymore as it is.

I'm with you Rob.
I only watch the majors.
I can't recall who wrote it (I think referring to the NBA All-Star game) but "I wouldn't watch it if was played in my driveway" is my feeling on professional golf telecasts.

[Tim_Cronin]

The details for the first LIV tournament of the season are out. Of the 15 planned hours, 13 are on FS2 and two (the first two hours on Sun 2/8) are on FS1. Nothing on Fox proper.

[Chris Hughes]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

  I am told there was major "consideration" made by LIV to Fox to ink this deal.

Who "told" you that?

Tim Cronin and Steve are correct. And I assure you Steve is not guessing about facts if he is being "told".
Of course there was major "consideration". There is always major consideration in Network Sports Television. With the treasury of available cash being firehosed by gambling and sports betting, you will not get a network commitment without "consideration". Steve was being circumspect. There is a pile of cash supporting LIV on TV. To think otherwise is naive. Greg, Rupert, PIF, Lachlan and others presented and reviewed the "Considerations" and cut a deal. That is how we pay for things in media. Network Sports TV is not a hobby.

The LIV feed will come pre-packaged from LIV productions, which is not an unusual arrangement and occurs in many other sports. Formula One races are literally a drag and drop, 1 finger switch, button push pass thru set of retransmissions from SkyTV by ESPN.
Liberty Owns F1. Sky Pays Liberty, ESPN Pay Liberty and Sky. "Click" "Lights out and away we go."
Most Folks generally are unaware of these "ReTrans" deals and really don't care who actually "Produces" a program.  Many times even networks hire specialist production teams to produce network distributed programming.

Availability of LIV broadcasts will be determined by "protected slotting", which is in limited and coveted supply.
For discussion, let's review the original USGA deal with FOX that went in a fire sale to NBC/Golf Channel.
The original USGA-focused Golf team at FOX was innovative and was slowly, but substantively improving production value. They debuted innovative shot tracing, and other smaller things such as logically informed ad insertion. The Women's Open in Charleston showcased a variety of well thought out technologies  and alternative production strategies.

Then COVID hit.  We had the Masters in the fall... Wham. While ANGC can air whenever they deem appropriate, every other spring and summer heavy golf program began bouncing headlong into the NFL. This doomed it on Fox... much to the chagrin of folks that pay attention to production value.

I have not looked at the details of the LIV schedule, but rest assured, if it runs into high net revenue content, it will be subjected to an unwieldy schedule. They will bounce across the Fox family of channels like a basketball in a trampoline park.

Excellent information, thank you.


UP vote registered... 👊

[V_Halyard]

I’m shocked, but I won’t watch it. I barely watch golf anymore as it is.

I'm with you Rob.
I only watch the majors.
I can't recall who wrote it (I think referring to the NBA All-Star game) but "I wouldn't watch it if was played in my driveway" is my feeling on professional golf telecasts.

I respect this opinion and attitude wholeheartedly. This is in part why I tend to try and watch (parts of) as many tournaments as I can make time for, specifically day two and the final 18.
Our golf production biz does some work on the GCA side.
Historically, tournament Golf Media rarely highlighted golf architecture. Outside of Shell‘s wonderful world of golf, Alistair MacKenzie‘s name was rarely if ever mentioned during the days of the Bing Crosby clambake Cypress point.

You heard about old Tom Watson whenever the ROTA visited The Old Course, Pete Dye 17 at Sawgrass, Jack Nicklaus because of the memorial, Arnold Palmer   Bay Hill and Palm Desert. Early on, folks rarely, if ever, spoke of Alistair MacKenzie during the Masters.

That has changed. The gca/GCA community has established an emotional beach head within the world of golf media. As a gca nerd and professional producer, it has been fascinating to watch and measure some of the metrics associated.

I’m old and have grown up professionally within the major production studio system.  I have seen it all. Everything….
And  GCA creeping into popular golf media has been outstanding to watch and participate.

When you start digging, metrics will point to a number of  interesting gca related tipping points.

GDTop100, GW Modern/Classic, GolfClubAtlas , Andy/FriedEgg, NLU, Eric Anders-Lange and United Airlines are probably the biggest popular media catalysts fueling a GCA incursion into popular golf media.

Your opinion; “I only watch the majors“, Carries significant   weight within the ad and marketing community. The appreciation of gca comes in to play with regard to the portfolio, of course as chosen, as well as the production approach, specifically, how the courses are presented on camera.

This also amplifies the gravity of the shit show happening in pro golf this very week with regard to the double dip of Torrey Pines.
Excellent production value, and the format change could give LIV A boost.

Without that, a lot of those fantastic names are going to continue to fade into the background. If they were smart, they would make changes and announce them this week… This week presents us with a frozen swamp of pro golf news.

Those are a lot of words to say that this is an important consumer attitude that some folks in Golf marketing and media production. Nobody is  ignoring this I the business unless they are seeking unemployment .

[V_Halyard]

I'd be curious to know if LIV is paying Fox Sports, just like they had to pay the CW.

Either way, I'm with Rob doesn't change anything from a watchability perspective.

  I am told there was major "consideration" made by LIV to Fox to ink this deal.

Who "told" you that?

Tim Cronin and Steve are correct. And I assure you Steve is not guessing about facts if he is being "told".
Of course there was major "consideration". There is always major consideration in Network Sports Television. With the treasury of available cash being firehosed by gambling and sports betting, you will not get a network commitment without "consideration". Steve was being circumspect. There is a pile of cash supporting LIV on TV. To think otherwise is naive. Greg, Rupert, PIF, Lachlan and others presented and reviewed the "Considerations" and cut a deal. That is how we pay for things in media. Network Sports TV is not a hobby.

The LIV feed will come pre-packaged from LIV productions, which is not an unusual arrangement and occurs in many other sports. Formula One races are literally a drag and drop, 1 finger switch, button push pass thru set of retransmissions from SkyTV by ESPN.
Liberty Owns F1. Sky Pays Liberty, ESPN Pay Liberty and Sky. "Click" "Lights out and away we go."
Most Folks generally are unaware of these "ReTrans" deals and really don't care who actually "Produces" a program.  Many times even networks hire specialist production teams to produce network distributed programming.

Availability of LIV broadcasts will be determined by "protected slotting", which is in limited and coveted supply.
For discussion, let's review the original USGA deal with FOX that went in a fire sale to NBC/Golf Channel.
The original USGA-focused Golf team at FOX was innovative and was slowly, but substantively improving production value. They debuted innovative shot tracing, and other smaller things such as logically informed ad insertion. The Women's Open in Charleston showcased a variety of well thought out technologies  and alternative production strategies.

Then COVID hit.  We had the Masters in the fall... Wham. While ANGC can air whenever they deem appropriate, every other spring and summer heavy golf program began bouncing headlong into the NFL. This doomed it on Fox... much to the chagrin of folks that pay attention to production value.

I have not looked at the details of the LIV schedule, but rest assured, if it runs into high net revenue content, it will be subjected to an unwieldy schedule. They will bounce across the Fox family of channels like a basketball in a trampoline park.

Excellent information, thank you.


UP vote registered... 👊

You are very kind. It’s cold as “F” up here in the north. I’m editing multiple projects. There is downtime waiting for programming to render so… this

[Tim_Cronin]

I remember "Old Tom Watson" too. Great guy, great player.

[V_Halyard]

I remember "Old Tom Watson" too. Great guy, great player.

Of course it was you.  Lol

[Tim_Cronin]

I remember "Old Tom Watson" too. Great guy, great player.

Of course it was you.  Lol

I can edit everyone's copy but mine!