The financial woes of LIV Golf have been well-documented, but the latest revelations are staggering. Despite securing new partnership deals, including TV contracts with Fox Sports, ITV, and Seven Network, the league’s operating losses have ballooned from $244 million in 2022 to a whopping $394 million in 2023. The numbers are so dire that even the panel of the No Laying Up podcast was left stunned, with one host bluntly asking how LIV Golf plans to recoup the nearly $5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
According to the latest YouTube video by the No Laying Up Podcast, PIF’s massive investment has only exacerbated LIV Golf’s financial hemorrhaging, leaving many to wonder what the endgame is for the beleaguered league. As one analyst noted, “What could they have bought in golf with $5 billion? They could have bought a lot of things… how many golf resorts could they have bought?” The question on everyone’s mind is, what does Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the head of PIF, really want?
As one analyst asked in exasperation, “What the f**k does Yasir want?” It’s clear that LIV Golf’s current trajectory isn’t financially sustainable, yet Al-Rumayyan seems willing to continue throwing money at the problem. “They’re just willing to see this all the way to completion,” observed another. “But I just can’t… I thought what they wanted was a seat at the table amongst the elite.”
The more LIV Golf loses money, the more it raises questions about Al-Rumayyan’s legitimacy as a major player in the golf world. As one host pointed out, “You could have owned all of [the golf resorts and courses] for $5 billion instead… all you’ve done is made a bunch of professional golfers richer.” It remains to be seen what Al-Rumayyan’s endgame is, but one thing is certain, LIV Golf’s financial woes won’t be solved anytime soon.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 H.E. Yasir Al Rumayyan AM on the 5th fairway during Round 2 of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 at Kingsbarns Golf Club, Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland. 04/10/2024. Picture Thos Caffrey / Golffile.ie All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Thos Caffrey Kingsbarns Kingsbarns Golf Club Fife Scotland Copyright: xThosxCaffreyx *EDI*
Others are also expressing their thoughts on the matter and golf personality Peter Finch is one of them.
Peter Finch: the LIV Golf’s viewership run is a “weird race”
YouTube golf personality Peter Finch is the latest to share his thoughts on the current state of the Saudi-backed golf league. Finch has weighed in on LIV Golf’s latest viewing figures, and his assessment is blunt. Despite the league’s enthusiasm about its numbers, Finch points out that the viewership is still alarmingly low. With a whopping £5 billion investment, LIV Golf’s final round managed to attract only 120,000 viewers – a number that Finch believes would have been unacceptable when the tour was launched two years ago.
“The only thing that stands out to me is that Scott O’Neill is the new CEO of LIV, and he comes out and is very enthusiastic about that number,” Finch said. “When, if we are going to be completely honest about it, we are talking about a golf tour which has invested about £5 billion to establish a golf tour, and in its final round, got about 120,000 people watching.”
Finch’s comments highlight a broader concern about the state of golf viewership. Despite slight increases here and there, the overall trend is downward, with fewer people tuning in to watch live golf across all tours. This includes the DP World Tour, LIV, and PGA Tour. “We have this weird race downwards. It’s not a race to the bottom, but we have kind of plateaued at this level where there are fewer and fewer people watching live golf,” Finch noted. Even LIV Golf’s most-watched event, the Mayakoba tournament in 2024, which drew 432,000 viewers, is a far cry from the numbers that other sports are pulling in. As Finch succinctly put it, “Overall, this is not great. When you think about it compared to other sports, that is not great.” Well, that was what Finch thought. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below!
The post ‘What the F**k Does Yasir Want?’: PIF Chief’s Endgame Remains Unclear as LIV Golf’s Losses Pile Up appeared first on EssentiallySports.