LIV Golf Tour Clears 100 Percent Of US Markets (But Not All CW Stations)

Lynette Rice
·2 min read
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Well this is something: the 2023 LIV Golf League season will air in 100 percent of the country. The network made it official today by announcing the first official full season of the Saudi-backed golf will air on some CW stations and on Nexstar owned and operated stations in key markets including Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Tampa and Hartford.

Not all the CW stations are on board, as they aren’t contractually obligated to air daytime programming. Eight CBS owned stations that carry CW, for example, passed on LIV – no doubt because CBS has a long-standing relationship with the PGA Tour.

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“As The CW Network prepares for the launch of the first live sports broadcast in its history, we are thrilled to deliver this innovative and reimagined competition to viewers across the country,” said Dennis Miller, President, The CW Network. “By utilizing the nationwide reach of our affiliate partners as well as the power of Nexstar stations, The CW has positioned itself as the broadcast destination for live mainstream sports for many years to come.”

Beginning with the first tournament on February 24-26 at Mayakoba in Mexico, all 14 global LIV Golf League events will air from 1:00-6:00pm ET on Saturdays and Sundays on The CW Network’s linear and digital platforms, with Friday rounds carried on The CW App. All eight U.S.-based tournaments and six international events will be broadcast across the U.S. and streamed live to The CW App, which has been downloaded over 90 million times and is available on all major platforms.

The pro golf tour, which features Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, and Bubba Watson has been criticized for its attempt to improve the image of Saudi royalty in the wake of human rights abuses. LIV is funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and offers massive purses to pro golfers who quit the PGA Tour.

The LIV on-air announce team will feature Arlo White leading play-by-play alongside analysts David Feherty and Jerry Foltz in the booth, and Dom Boulet, Su-Ann Heng, and Troy Mullins providing coverage on the course and in feature segments.

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