• Loading stock data...
Monday, February 10, 2025

LIV Golf Gets New Media Deal—and Greg Norman’s Replacement

LIV Golf is experiencing significant change ahead of its 2025 season. A new media-rights deal and CEO looks to forge a new path for the tour.

Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

LIV Golf is set to head into its 2025 season with a new media-rights deal and a replacement for its controversial leader, Greg Norman.

The league made two key formal announcements this week as it gears up for its season opener in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 6–8.

Fox Sports has signed a multiyear media-rights deal to become LIV’s sole U.S. broadcast partner, following the past two seasons with The CW. Airing on the main Fox network will give LIV its best TV exposure yet. Some rounds will also air on the cable channels FS1, FS2, and even Fox Business Network.

LIV’s recent schedule shift was likely made in accordance with the crowded sports slate on Fox, which is paying an undisclosed rights fee. LIV’s season will end in late August—earlier than it has in the past three seasons—and for the first time on the same weekend as the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship. 

Fox has a heavy dose of college football and NFL broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, which would have likely reduced LIV’s placement on its networks.

Shift at the Top

LIV has also announced the hire of Scott O’Neil as its new CEO, replacing Norman, who is handing off the day-to-day management duties he had as CEO and commissioner, but he will remain involved with LIV.

Norman took a mostly adversarial approach toward the PGA Tour since LIV’s launch in 2022, so finding a new leader could smooth things out between the two tours, as LIV’s financial backers at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia continue to work on a deal with the PGA Tour to unify men’s professional golf.

O’Neil has a deep sports history, and he was previously the CEO of 76ers and Devils parent company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. His relationships from that job should be valuable for LIV. For example, David Blitzer is a co-owner alongside Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club, one of six teams in TGL, the new indoor golf league that launched this month and has backing from the PGA Tour. 

Trump’s Impact on Golf

The state of the PIF–PGA Tour negotiations could speed up after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday.

LIV will once again play at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in South Florida in April, and Trump has previously said he could get a PIF–PGA Tour deal done “in the better part of 15 minutes.”

The Department of Justice is also expected to be more merger-friendly under Trump’s administration, which would be a positive sign for the tours.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

YouTube Golf Goes Pro: Peoples League Joins Creator Competition Boom

A new league is launching for golf content creators.

Eagles Set to Host 2025 NFL Kickoff: Who Will Be Their Opponent?

Speculation begins on Philadelphia’s opponent for the 2025 kickoff game.

Chiefs to Make $17M Travis Kelce Decision After Super Bowl Loss

Kelce, 35, is the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.

Featured Today

Brady and Mahomes

Chiefs Fatigue Is Real. It’s Nowhere Near Patriots Hate Yet

People who have covered both teams say the difference is stark.
Nov 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley (26) after the Eagles defeat the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium.
February 7, 2025

How the Eagles Reinvented Championship Roster Construction

Philadelphia is one of the most innovative franchises in the NFL.
February 3, 2025

‘Ultimate Throwback’: The Unimpeachable Cool of Hartford Whalers Gear

Nostalgia and street cred have driven a consistent frenzy for merch.
January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44), before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium.
February 1, 2025

The New WAGs: Sports Wives Building Business Empires

Athletes’ wives and girlfriends are bucking stereotypes and cashing in.
Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; The 2024 NFL London Games, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears logo on the facade at an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Do NFL Players Want an International Super Bowl?

Players told Front Office Sports where it should be held.
February 9, 2025

Pricey Contracts, Stadium Talks Will Heat Up NFL Offseason

The 49ers and Vikings have big decisions to make about QBs who will be expensive.
February 9, 2025

New Orleans Native Lil Wayne Skipping Super Bowl After Kendrick Lamar Scuffle

His disappointment turned into an ad campaign, but he still isn’t attending.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
February 9, 2025

LIV Golf Players Can Still Wear Shorts—If It’s Hot Enough

Pants will only be required in certain temperatures, FOS has learned.
February 7, 2025

NWSL Commish: Our Teams Can Be ‘As Valuable As an NFL Team’

Jessica Berman called her clubs an “undervalued asset class.”
Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist Kendrick Lamar poses for a photo during a press conference for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Media Center
February 7, 2025

Kendrick Lamar’s High-Risk, High-Reward Super Bowl Halftime Show

The performance is a boon for the league—but not without complications.
Maverick Carter
February 7, 2025

Singapore, Saudi PIF Among Investors in Int’l Basketball League

The league is advised by Maverick Carter, a longtime friend of LeBron James.