LIV Golf caused eyes to squint, and ears to perk up after it reported a audience of 3.2 Million at its season-opening event. This was especially after some unflattering reports .
The new upstart circuit is now in its second season, but it was first as the rebranded LIV Golf League. signed a multiyear revenue-sharing TV agreement with CW in January. It was criticised for taking five days to release its numbers after its LIV Golf Mayakoba event in Mexico. But that was the plan.
Will Staeger, LIV Golf’s Chief media officer, stated that this is why they wanted to be thorough and take their time. “The way we are distributed on Nexstar or CW platforms includes both the CW affiliates across the country as well as a web of Nexstar-owned stations and some independent stations.
He said that a small sample of data is not accurate due to the distribution strategy of our partner, on linear. He also noted how Nexstar stations like WGN in Chicago are more popular than CW affiliates. These numbers were not included in the small sample.
It is also important to note the numbers used. LIV reported 3.2 Million viewers over the three-day period. The early Nielsen numbers were the average-minute audience, which is the industry standard. LIV also uses iSpot, a TV ad measuring and analytics company that provides a different way of measuring viewership than Nielsen.
Staeger stated that “iSpot gives a wider view of how viewers view content than just the panel process.” These numbers include not only Nexstar stations and Nexstar-CW combination, but also set top boxes and connected TVs. This is a comprehensive and thorough attempt to make this information complete.
What was the result? The result? Nielsen reports that the CW’s weekend primetime ratings rose 24 percent compared with its weekend season-to date average.
“It’s a good start in that regard and our strategy seems like it is working. This is only a beginning. Staeger said that it’s a long-term curve of growth for a new league. “We had our expectations within the realm of reality, but these numbers exceeded them.”
“We thought that it was a great strategy to launch the product on YouTube in 2022 in our beta season. We are proud of the numbers we tallied. However, we are talking about 20 times the viewership we saw on the first weekend by being on a broadcast network reaching 120 million homes. It’s a huge growth step for us.”
LIV is well-known for its bold and aggressive moves. However, Staeger stressed that incremental growth is important as the league grows.
“It’s about double-down on letting fans (and non-fans) know where we are. It’s about getting the message out,” stated Staeger. He also spoke the company’s line and praised LIV’s 54-hole shotgun start format. “I believe it’s the product that will appeal to the next generation of golfers, and it respects both the legacy of the game as well as the core viewers who grew up with the established properties of the sport. It’s a great start.
LIV will be returning to the U.S. in its second event, Marc 17-19 at Gallery Golf Club, Marana, Arizona.
