LIV Golf snaps up PGA Tour agency and targets TNT as broadcast partner for 2025
The same sports agency now represents both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. Could unification in the professional game finally be on the cards?
LIV Golf has just hired the same sports agency that represents the PGA Tour, according to Front Office Sports.
The publication understands LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), has this week 'hired powerful sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to represent it for media rights and corporate sponsorship deals.'
It marks a potentially significant moment in terms of future unification in the professional game as CAA already represents the PGA Tour.
Related: 93% of PGA Tour fans cannot identify all of these players! Are you in the 7% club?!
PIF and the PGA Tour announced a shock framework agreement in June 2023.
An agreement appeared to be in place to combine the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's commercial operations and rights into a new company, alongside the DP World Tour.
But some 14 months on, the PGA Tour and PIF are seemingly no nearer to striking a deal.
That's even with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both heavily involved in the discussions.
"They're very complicated discussions," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan declared last week in his latest conversation to reporters about their merger with PIF.
"There's a lot of elements to them. When you have the level of interaction, we're continuing to meet and move forward and discuss and debate, you can't be anything but hopeful."
PIF has turned its immediate attention to a completely new sport this month.
Elsewhere, Front Office Sports understands LIV Golf is on the hunt for a potential new broadcast partner that could replace The CW Network in 2025.
While The CW Network still reportedly holds a good relationship with LIV Golf, sources have told FOS 'The CW has balked at LIV’s initial asking price to renew its deal.'
It therefore remains to be seen whether The CW continues to work with LIV in 2025.
With The CW yet to make a decision, LIV Golf is said to now be 'in talks with TNT (Turner Network Television) about possibly picking up the national TV media rights.'
The move could prove an appealing one for TNT especially after they recently lost out on NBA media rights.
Discussions with Turner are understood to be in 'preliminary and exploratory' stages.
TNT and LIV have declined to comment any further on speculation, according to FOS.
Potential other media partners for LIV Golf in 2025 could be Amazon Prime Video and Apple.
LIV Golf just has one more regular season event to go in Chicago from 13-15 September.
Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann will fight out the Individual Championship that week.
Rahm last week responded to a shock rumour that he was unhappy on LIV Golf and was desperate to return to the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has strongly hit back at the claims, too.
Players in the drop zone will also be fighting to earn their status on LIV in Chicago
Then attention turns to LIV Golf's season-ending Team Championship in Dallas from September 20-22.
It remains to be seen whether LIV Golf will sign any more big-name players from the PGA Tour.
No doubt there will be plenty of rumours during the off-season.
Andy first joined the brand on a month's work experience back in April 2011, and he now assumes the Editor role. When Andy joined GolfMagic it was a small site with potential.
