Despite gaining recognition from the OWGR this year, LIV Golf’s viewership issues don't seem to end.  

According to Sports Business Journal associate, Josh Carpenter, LIV Golf's 2026 season failed to attract the expected number of eyeballs, averaging only 23,000 viewers over four days. That’s a underwhelming number for a league backed by nearly $5 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Last year’s Riyadh event averaged 19,000 viewers over three days on FS1 and FS2. In 2026, the event ran for four days but the increase in tournament's viewership was far lesser than expected.

LIV's numbers look even worse when compared to other golf events. The WM Phoenix Open drew 2.9 million viewers for its final round on CBS that same week. Meanwhile, TGL, the indoor simulator league, averaged 551,000 viewers this season, over 20x higher than LIV’s Riyadh numbers.

Well, the timing also seems to have played its part in this. LIV Riyadh aired at 10 a.m. ET on weekdays in the United States, which is a difficult time slot since most people are at work. Some supporters said the comparison isn’t fair.

However, the Dubai Desert Classic’s final round, which aired from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Golf Channel, drew 29,000 viewers, slightly more than LIV, even though it had a tougher time slot.

LIV’s $5 Billion Problem Grows as TV Ratings Remain Low

The low viewership comes at a bad time for the league. Reports from Money in Sport say Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has already invested $4.58 billion into LIV, and that number could reach $5 billion by summer 2026.

Compared to that level of spending, LIV’s reported revenue of $82 million from January to October 2024 is very small. In January 2025, LIV signed a multi-year TV deal with Fox Sports, increasing its coverage to nearly 300 hours. Reports say the deal was one of three conditions the Public Investment Fund asked for before giving more money.

Fox’s new deal gave LIV 30% more broadcast time than its previous CW partnership, but more airtime hasn’t meant more viewers.

The league’s strongest U.S. performance came in Miami in April 2025, when 484,000 people tuned in for the final round. That same day, the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open pulled in 1.7 million viewers.

The Riyadh numbers send a clear message: despite billions in backing and expanded coverage, LIV’s climb toward mainstream relevance is proving far steeper than expected.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy