sport news LIV Golf announces return to YouTube after months of disappointing ratings on ... trends now
Once reported to be at the center of a network bidding war, LIV Golf has announced that is now returning live events to YouTube, where the PGA Tour's Saudi-backed rival began in 2022 before reaching a multi-year revenue-sharing deal with the CW Network back in January.
That CW deal remains in effect, according to Golf Monthly, but the tour will now also air tournaments on YouTube, beginning with this week's DC event at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.
Curiously, viewers in the US, Canada, Mexico and South Korea will need to pay $3 per day to see the tournament on YouTube, reportedly so that LIV Golf can protect existing broadcast and streaming deals.
Fans can also watch for free on the LIV Golf Plus app, but the various viewing arrangements are a far cry from the massive TV rights deal CEO Greg Norman envisioned only months earlier.
In September, Norman told ESPN that LIV Golf was receiving an 'enormous' amount of interest from networks.
Patrick Reed hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the Pro-Am tournament in Washington
Despite its alliance with former President Donald Trump, LIV Golf has struggled to attract fans
'We're talking to four different networks -- and live conversations where offers are being put on the table,' he said. 'Because [the networks] can see the value of our product, they can see what we're delivering.'
However, CW's ratings for LIV Golf events have been miserable, dropping 24 percent week-over-week until only 409,000 viewers watched a March tournament in Tucson, according to Golf.com.
Now, LIV Golf is no longer reporting viewer data after claiming that Nielsen's audience measurements are inaccurate.
Despite LIV Golf's struggles, the fledgling circuit remains a major topic on the PGA Tour, in part, because LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka recently won the PGA Championship.
But even with the presence of fan favorites
