If you didn’t notice LIV Golf’s opening event for 2023 this weekend, don’t worry. No one else noticed it either.
The tournament, held in Mayakoba, Mexico, was won by Charles Howell III on Sunday. But, the ratings for the second-round of action on Saturday suggest that few saw Howell’s victory. The tournament drew a pathetic 0.2 rating in the 26 markets it appeared in on the CW Network.
Oof: 0.2 overnight rating for LIV golf in the 26 metered markets that carried it on CW.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) February 26, 2023
It’s almost impossible to do worse than that. The Saudis may quickly conclude that buying a golf league is not enough, and they may need to buy a major television network to go with it. LIV is in a bad spot: They make “zero money.” They only have 14 annual events, and if the next 13 rate anywhere near the first one, this could be a very short-lived experience indeed.
Make no mistake; if anyone can afford to burn money, it’s the Saudis. However, if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, they probably won’t do that for very long.
