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An average of 286,000 and 291,000 viewers tuned
in Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to watch six-times major
winner Phil Mickelson and former number one Dustin Johnson lead
an all-star cast at LIV's season opener in Mayakoba, Mexico,
according to Nielsen.
With fewer marquee names to boast in its field, the PGA Tour's
Honda Classic brought in 1.61 million viewers Saturday and 2.38
million on Sunday, by comparison, on NBC.
LIV Golf did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LIV Golf is the first sport to broadcast on the CW Network,
after the two parties agreed a multi-year deal in January.
Perry Sook, the chairman and CEO of CW Network parent company
Nexstar, said on Tuesday's earnings call that the three-day
tournament was viewed by more than 1.4 million across the
network and its digital platform.
"We're very pleased with our first weekend of LIV Golf," said
Sook.
"It's selling very well and I think we'll continue to grow as we
get more into the season and more involved."
Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf
attracted some of the sport's biggest names with the promise of
supersize paydays and a truncated schedule. The PGA Tour,
meanwhile, has suspended members who joined the breakaway
circuit.
The 14-event season kicked off amid an ongoing rift between the
two sides, as another two competitors, Chilean Mito Pereira, who
finished third in last year's PGA Championship, and Colombian
Sebastian Munoz joined LIV earlier this month.
Charles Howell pocketed a $4 million individual prize at the LIV
event, while Chris Kirk took home $1.512 million at the Honda
Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by
Helen Coster; Editing by Toby Davis)
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