LIV Golf’s streaming partner shuts down due to lack of profitability despite claiming to have 4 million daily viewers: Reports

LIV Golf’s staple streaming partner, Caffeine TV, decided to shut down this week. The broadcasting channel was LIV Golf’s free partner to stream the first round of LIV events. But now, the place would be vacant apparently.

The reason they stated for stepping back from broadcasting is the lack of profitability. The channel had 61 million monthly users and four million viewers per day. This has been shared by the NUCLR Golf on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting the reason for Caffeine TV’s shutdown.

“All good things come to an end…We’re at the point where we are still not quite profitable, so we’ve made the decision to end the service as of June 26th as we figure out our next steps,” said Caffeine TV.

LIV had entered into a deal with the channel back in February 2024. The Saudi-backed league stated,

“Boasting a younger, more diverse audience than many traditional broadcast platforms, Caffeine TV has already produced notable exposure for the league, its tournaments, and original programming that has appeared on the platform since the start of the 2024 season."

Records with LIV say that they had two million viewers watching the Jeddah event on Caffeine TV. With Caffeine TV leaving the league, LIV still has half of its season remaining. Other broadcasting partners in play are CW Network, LIV Golf App, and more.

LIV Golf reaches the highest viewership numbers in 2024

As far as LIV Golf’s viewership numbers for its events, the numbers have been soaring. For example, at the Mexico event, the league gained 3.51 million views on its broadcasting networks. The Las Vegas event fetched 3.03 million views.

The league then organized two events in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, which saw lower viewership numbers. After some backlash, it got back on track at the LIV Golf Jeddah, which gathered 2.25 million viewers. Despite being aired at unusual hours, the Hong Kong event still recorded 2.41 million views.

LIV’s star player, Jon Rahm, who switched to the Saudi-backed league recently, also helped them boost the viewership numbers at the beginning of the season. In the final round of Rahm's debut event, the Spaniard's final putt garnered 432,000 views. The Saudi Arabia event, broadcast solely on the CW Network, saw 195,000 viewers.

Although LIV’s numbers have been spiking, the case isn't the same for the PGA Tour. While Rory McIlroy thought the Masters Tournament would be the beacon of salvation for the PGA’s viewership, things turned out differently.

Some claimed that fans felt detached from the PGA Tour due to the ongoing controversies. It remains to be seen whether these conflicts with the Norman-backed league are finally resolved.