Golf: LIV does not rule out the idea of paying channels to ensure TV broadcasting
The new LIV Golf circuit could pay channels to secure television coverage as it tries to build a long-term presence, its director of operations told AFP, assuring that its Saudi backers plan to more than ten years.
The LIV, which poached some of the best players in the world with record purses, angering traditional golf bodies including the PGA Tour, is currently in discussion with US and international broadcasters, Atul Khosla said on the sidelines. of the Jeddah Invitational, the last individual tournament of the inaugural season of the circuit, which began in June.
Asked about information that the LIV was going to buy airtime from the American channel Fox Sports, the leader replied that his organization had not yet defined “commercial conditions with any partner”.
“It could be about that (the purchase of airtime, editor’s note), it could be a sharing [des revenus]it could be ad revenue,” he said.
“There are so many different ways to build deals…. Personally, I don’t dwell too much on all of that at this point,” the former NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers manager said.
“Aging Product”
The initial season of LIV is available on YouTube, but does not air on television, although it is offered free to broadcasters.
But Atul Khosla said the backers of LIV, Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund, were taking a “long-term” approach.
“If the horizon was two years, I would say okay, we would have to have a very different transaction structure” in terms of tournament broadcasting, he said.
“But their horizon is more than ten years, it’s a very different arrangement,” he said.
” [Le golf] is an aging product today, and has been for a long time. How to rejuvenate it? How to make it faster? How to make it trendier and cooler? added the native Oman leader.
LIV innovations include tournaments over three days instead of four, without cuts, and with a limited number of 48 participants.
Players can wear shorts (still forbidden in traditional golf) and music is played through speakers on the course.
The attraction for players is above all financial, with considerable rewards, like the 200 million dollar bonus paid to the American Phil Mickelson, 52 years old.
However, they cannot currently earn any world ranking points, which particularly affects their chances of playing one of the four major tournaments on the calendar.
