The ratings were not good for The CW when it came to the network’s first foray into live sports. That doesn’t mean the network or its parent company Nexstar is panicking about its relationship with LIV Golf. In fact, CEO Perry Sook says the company is “very pleased with our first weekend of LIV Golf.”
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reported that the Saturday round of the LIV Tour’s tournament in Mexico last week drew just a 0.2 rating. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Sook pointed out that the number went up significantly on Sunday.
“The linear broadcast ratings increased 21% from Saturday to Sunday,” he told John Lafayette. “Those numbers exceeded our expectations.”
Friday play was available exclusively on The CW app. More than 1.4 million people accessed the network’s LIV Golf content across all platforms over the weekend. Sook notes that is 24% higher than the average golf television audience in 2023.
He also said that LIV Golf generated “three times the revenue” for CW affiliates versus other programming.
“I think we’ll continue to grow as we get more into the season,” the Nexstar CEO said.
He added that plenty of teams have reached out about airing games on the network as Warner Bros. Discovery and Diamond Sports Group see their regional sports networks flounder. He says the experience with LIV has definitely made Nexstar open to airing other sports on The CW in the future.
