Super League Predictions
With the rain at the PGA event, I’m watching LIV today. I’ve watched it a bit so far this year.
It’s just… not… interesting. The same guys every time, and a lot of them are second rate. The team thing does nothing for me. The parts of the music that get transmitted are just thumping noise.
I don’t care about the political stuff, the product is no damn good. Even if they get a couple more top players, I don’t think it can be salvaged.
I can’t see how it survives in this format. Can they keep throwing money at it? Sure! But will anyone watch?
I find all golf boring other than the Ryder Cup and last round s of the majors. Can't imagine ever watching LIV. Although LIV has pretty much all the guys I would have any interest in watching, Koepka, Phil, DJ, Bryson.
DonM I can’t see how it survives in this format. Can they keep throwing money at it? Sure! But will anyone watch?
I have no interest it. There's plenty of other golf for me to watch. Golf isn't big enough to have two competing leagues without over saturating the market. That said we'll see if they eventually come to some sort of deal.
Anyway, here's the numbers.
LIV generated $100 million in revenue during 2023 with an estimated $3 million return from TV.
The PGA Tour has a $5 billion media deal with NBC, CBS, Warner Bros, Discovery and ESPN until 2030. They also have another $5 billion in revenue thru sponsorship deals with FedEx, AT&T and Mastercard.
LIV didn't have many revenue options. LIV expected the big names to attract sponsors. But haven't achieved much success. Also, reports state that LIV's expenses have hit nearly $2 billion in it's first two seasons.
LIV's deal with CW generated ~ $3 million while the PGA Tour earned ~ $700 million via the traditional model.
I guess i'm the odd man out, because I find LIV generally more worth watching than the PGA Tour. I watch golf to see swings and to see shots. On the LIV broadcasts I get to watch about three times as many shots as they show on the PGA tour.
I like it "ocassionally". We went to one event at Dump National (
). Good fan experience.
I predict the Saudis will get bored once they've over-invested and move on. Hopefully without any deaths.
I’m sick of them all AND the Golf Channel. Haven’t watched golf on TV in forever
- Edited
I've grown weary of the "asset spreading". The best players in the world are scattered between 3 leagues. Here's an opinon I just saw. He makes a point.
Professional Golf is Screwed (and deserves to be)
In my estimation, there's zero change that LIV and the PGA Tour can co-exist and both succeed. The audience isn't there.
I watch a lot of soccer where the best players in the world are spread across 5 or 6 leagues. And while it's true that nobody watches Saudi soccer (including the Saudi's themselves), the global fanbase is broad enough such that there are enough eyeballs for everyone.
Professional golf is different. The audience pales in comparison, and not for anything, for those who care (or used to) your choice is rapidly become one between a league that exists only to make Saudi Arabia palatable for investment and tourism and another that is rapidly transforming into something that exists only to enrich the players that stuck around.
In either case, the fan experience is Golf, but shittier 
We aren't part of the conversation, and because of it, apathy towards the professional game is on the rise. With distribution of talent further diluting the game by the week, it won't be long before neither league is worth watching.
Maybe we're already there.
-TC
sdandrea1 I've only watched LIV for a couple minutes. It's a shit show.
They do have some of the best golfers in the world, no questioning it. But now they need to change the format to what everyone wants to see, and what their players need. 72 holes, no shotgun start; there doesn't have to be any cut. It's in the best interest of the players in that they will be given ranking points.(maybe??) More of them would be playing majors, making them even stronger fields.
It would also make the viewing a bit more palatable, as a 'normal'(as we know it) professional golf tournament.
- Edited
sdandrea1 In my estimation, there's zero change that LIV and the PGA Tour can co-exist and both succeed. The audience isn't there.
Yeah exactly. I've been saying the same thing. Golf isn't big enough for competing leagues. If the audience isn't there (and it isn't) it becomes oversaturated.
The second season of Full Swing on Netflix just dropped. I've watched the first two episodes and they get into the LIV issue behind the scenes.
The dilemma is LIV is failing miserably, but has the resources to keep going regardless of whether it's a success. The PGA Tour has the brand and market share (viewership etc..), but can't compete with the money LIV is paying it's players.
So as it stands now it's not a good long term scenario for either.