After it was reported by WSJ.com that both Amazon and Apple have turned down the opportunity to show LIV Golf, it seems that a new media company is leading the way, with Fox Sports reportedly the new favourites.
According to Front Office Sports, inside sources have Fox as the current favorite, however, LIV's chief media officer, Will Staeger, provided no comment on the matter, only stating that the Saudi-backed series is auctioning its rights to top media outlets.
Norman at the LIV Golf Invitational Series Boston
"We want exposure," Staeger told Front Office Sports. "We want broad viewership. We want to be on a platform where viewers are accustomed to watching sports"
If Fox Sports were to secure the rights for LIV Golf, it would be somewhat of a full circle for its CEO, Greg Norman, who was with the media company as their lead golf analyst for just a year before parting ways in 2015.
The move from Fox Sports was a huge surprise for Norman, who revealed in an exclusive interview with GOLF Live that Fox’s decision came without warning and caught him completely off guard: “I can honestly say that I am shocked and surprised,” he stated at the time, whilst also adding "I felt like I got rolled under the bus."
Joe Buck, Brad Faxon and Norman during a Fox Sports rehearsal prior to the start of the 2015 US Open
Seven years on though and it appears that is by-the-by, with Fox Sports now the reported favourites to take over the LIV Golf broadcast which has been shown on YouTube and their website for the first five events.
During the interview with Front Office Sports, Staegar went on to add that, as a working model, LIV’s been looking at the TV growth of the Premier League on NBC, Formula 1 on ESPN and Netflix in the US: “When you look at those examples, they really epitomize the partner or partners that we want to find," he stated, before adding "Partners concerned with growing our property.“
According to Norman "the interest coming across our plate right now is enormous," but other outlets have reported that may not be the case. However, it's worth noting that the 67-year-old Australian is close with fellow countryman, Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox, as well as David Hill who is consulting with LIV Golf.
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