LIV is beginning to enter the auction phase for its media rights, the executive said, in advance of the circuit’s first full season in 2023 when it plans to have a deal, with a significant rights fee, in place. LIV also hasn’t been able to strike a deal with networks including ESPN, CBS, NBC and Fox, people familiar with the matter said.Ī LIV Golf executive said it was too early to characterize anyone as being firmly in the mix or out yet. The two tech giants were approached by LIV about potentially carrying its events on their streaming platforms, but neither expressed interest and talks never advanced to any serious negotiations, the people said. media partner to broadcast its tournaments.Ī and Apple have both passed on the media rights to LIV Golf, people familiar with the matter said, leaving the Saudi-backed circuit with a dwindling number of options. LIV Golf has lured some of the world’s most famous golfers to its upstart golf league, but it is having a much more difficult time finding a major U.S. Back at the beginning of August, we wondered if Apple (or Amazon) may see its way clear to inking a deal to stream LIV Golf events live without commercial interruption, as Apple already does with Major League Baseball’s Friday Night Baseball and will do with the upcoming 10-year exclusive deal to stream every single live Major League Soccer match beginning in 2023.Īt the time, we posited that LIV Golf was probably very amenable to a sweetheart deal to land some real media presence which Apple (or Amazon) could’ve used to its advantage at the negotiating table.Īlas, both Apple and Amazon have reportedly passed on acquiring LIV Golf broadcast rights.Īndrew Beaton and Joe Flint for The Wall Street Journal: