LIV Golf Is No Longer Reporting Viewership Rating From U.S. Broadcasts

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LIV Golf signing a broadcasting deal with the CW Network prior to the start of its second season earlier this year seemed like a step in the right direction. The Saudi-backed circuit was so pleased with the new TV deal that it even shared its ratings in press releases in March.

Now, two months later and six events into the new season, those ratings reports have disappeared, and disappeared by design.

READ: CW CUTS AWAY FROM END OF LIV GOLF TOURNAMENT, AIRS INFOMERCIALS & RE-RUNS OVER THREE-MAN PLAYOFF

LIV sources confirmed to GOLF earlier this week about the league's decision to no longer share ratings reports. This is a complete 180-degree change given that LIV's chief media officer, Will Staeger, told the outlet that it would "certainly" be providing viewership numbers stating that ratings were "critical" to LIV's plans.

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Greg Norman is the CEO of LIV Golf, which is now refusing to share viewership ratings numbers from US broadcasts. (Photo by Peter Van der Klooster/Getty Images)

In a March 3 press release sent out to the media, LIV Golf stated that the season's inaugural event in Mayakoba garnered over 3.2 million total viewers in the United States across all platforms. The release also stated the event generated double-digit ratings increases in top U.S. markets and increased CW primetime ratings by over 24%.

READ: LIV GOLF TV RATINGS SOMEHOW GO FROM BAD TO WORSE IN SECOND EVENT OF THE SEASON

It's worth noting that two of the first six LIV events of the year took place in Australia and and Singapore, two countries located on the other side of the world in relation to the United States. Those were shown on tape delay, but Orlando, Tuscon, and Tulsa have also hosted LIV tournaments in 2023.

LIV Golf going from sending email blasts and press released about its ratings to very quietly choosing not to do so paints a pretty clear picture, the numbers can not be good.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.