LIV Golf’s highly anticipated 2025 season kicked off in Riyadh earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, with a big shift in its broadcast strategy. The Saudi-backed league, which had already made waves by replacing Greg Norman with Scott O’Neil as CEO and signing a deal with FOX Sports, debuted its first-ever broadcast on FOX Sports 2. The excitement around this new partnership was high, especially with the event moving to a more fan-friendly time, starting at 6:15 p.m. local time.

The hope was that the evening start would draw in more viewers from the U.S. But despite the change, the numbers were far lower than expected, with just 12,000 viewers tuning in for the opening round. While the LIV broadcast was also available via its app and website, the response on FOX Sports 2 suggested that, for now, interest in the breakaway league might still be limited. But well, looks like Dan Rapaport has a solution to this major problem.

In the latest episode of Dan on Golf, the reporter stated, “ESPN has this great competition for every minute of airtime on their platforms, so the audience might be noisy but shallow, and they’re better served to cover other things. The Golf Channel is a broadcast partner of the PGA Tour, so it’s like saying, “Why won’t the wife and the mistress have a meal?” It’s just not going to happen.” The Golf Channel has been associated with the PGA Tour since 2007 and has struck a deal with NBC and CBS. So when it came to choosing between LIV Golf and the long-term American Tour, the channel chose the latter for broadcasting. And why wouldn’t it? It already gets paid a lot by the Tour. ESPN, on the other hand, is associated with Donald Trump.

It is evident from the fact that in January, President Donald Trump was granted free air time to offer good wishes to Ohio State and Notre Dame in between the streaming. So what is the solution here? Well, if LIV Golf could host a match at the Trump Doral, Rapaport believes ESPN would tune in. And that’s not all. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are currently two of the biggest stars in LIV Golf. Taking to this, he added, “If a player like Bryson or Brooks started winning every week, they might capture their imagination. But these overseas events are happening in the middle of the night for the American audience, and they’re just not that interested. I’ve got to tell you, living in LA in 2025, you’d be surprised— the wife and the mistress actually have meals.”

Regardless of whether the Breakaway League ends up taking this advice or not, it is needless to say that as the season progressed, there has been an improvement in the broadcasting rates. They have had 10X growth.

LIV Golf sees a 10X rise in viewership in Adelaide

LIV Golf has finally achieved a breakthrough in television viewership, drawing more attention than ever before. The Saudi-backed league posted impressive numbers during the opening round in Adelaide, thanks to its collaboration with FOX Sports. According to Nuclr Golf on X, LIV Golf reached an average of 114,000 viewers on FS1 from 11:20 PM to 2:15 AM. While this still trails the PGA Tour’s viewership, it’s an encouraging sign for new LIV CEO Scott O’Neill.

This marks a significant improvement compared to the disappointing numbers from the season opener in Riyadh, which only averaged 19,000 viewers. In Riyadh, Adrian Meronk’s victory was hardly enough to generate excitement, with fans expressing little interest in the result. However, LIV Golf’s Adelaide round seemed to captivate more attention, likely driven by the electrifying moment when Patrick Reed made an ace at the Watering Hole, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Whether this surge in viewership is just a fleeting moment or the beginning of more sustained interest remains to be seen. Only time will tell if LIV Golf can maintain this momentum and continue to build its fan base. Do you think the change in leadership will change more for the league? Stay tuned to find out!