The CW To Air Remaining Seven LIV Golf Tournaments Through End Of Year

Nexstar’s The CW will air seven LIV golf tournaments as planned this year after Saudi-backed LIV Golf, the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour announced Tuesday that they are merging, ending litigation between all parties. What happens after that in terms of broadcast rights remains to be determined.

“This is an exciting day to unify and grow the game of golf,” said a Nexstar spokesman in a statement. “There is no change to the LIV Golf event schedule for 2023 on The CW. We look forward to broadcasting seven more exciting tournaments this year featuring the world’s best golfers.”

Nexstar signed a multi-year broadcast deal with LIV Golf in January and began airing tournaments on the CW Network. Other broadcasters who were in business with the PGA — Disney/ESPN, NBCUniversal and Paramount/CBS — declined to pick up LIV due to the fact that it’s backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Many oppose Saudi Arabia’s human-rights practices, especially after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul in 2018.

The PGA has secured broadcast rights with Disney/ESPN, NBCUniversal and Paramount/CBS through 2030.

“There will have to be some broadcast rights deals reworking done for the combined entity,” says Justin Nielson, principal analyst, S&P Global Intelligence. “I’m just surprised that the details for the rights deals haven’t been hammered out yet with the merger announcement.”

Tuesday’s announcement hints that LIV events will remain part of golf’s overall global lineup and it’s potentially those events that could remain on The CW while PGA major tournaments continue to air on NBC, CBS and ESPN.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV — including the team golf concept — to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.

“Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made — to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future,” Monahan said.

“There is no question that the LIV model has been positively transformative for golf,” PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan said in a statement. “We believe there are opportunities for the game to evolve while also maintaining its storied history and tradition. This partnership represents the best opportunity to extend and increase the impact of golf for all.”