ESPN nears broadcast rights deal with emerging golf league TGL

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ESPN is close to finalising a deal on broadcast rights with the emerging golf league TGL, according to people familiar with the matter, giving the upstart pro league helmed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy a media partner as they prepare to launch next year.

Terms of the deal, including value and duration, have not yet been finalised, the people said, but are expected to be ironed out in the coming weeks. The first TGL season is expected to begin in January. It was not immediately clear how many of the TGL matches would be broadcast over ESPN’s cable networks or on its proprietary streaming platforms.

A spokesperson for ESPN did not have an immediate comment. A spokesman for TGL said they did not comment on ongoing negotiations.

The potential tie-up between ESPN and TGL comes at a pivotal time for both the network and the business of golf.

ESPN remains a closely watched component of the Walt Disney empire as chief executive Bob Iger weighs options for the future of its media networks. In recent remarks to investors, Iger has suggested some of its linear television channels may be for sale, and that Disney is exploring commercial partnerships for ESPN, its sports juggernaut. He has said that moving live sports from television to streaming is not a matter of “if, but when”. 

As more US consumers reject cable subscriptions for online streaming, media conglomerates and sports entities are rethinking their rights terms. This month, Warner Brothers Discovery announced plans to simulcast some of its live sports properties, including NBA games, on its Max streaming platform.

Meanwhile, professional golf has been roiled by the proposed merger of the US-based PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf breakaway tour. McIlroy has long been a vocal opponent of LIV, and last month Woods was named to the board of the PGA Tour at the request of fellow players as both sides continue to deliberate possible merger terms.

Woods and McIlroy announced plans in August 2022 to launch TGL, a new format of golf competition featuring six teams competing once per week in what are expected to be primetime Monday-night broadcasts. Players will compete in front of crowds at a newly constructed virtual simulator course in an arena environment. 

The format has already received backing from Fenway Sports Group, hedge fund titan Steve Cohen, Home Depot founder Arthur Blank, and Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, each of whom have purchased a team. 

The PGA Tour is a partner of the TGL league, which is majority owned by Woods and McIlroy through their combined investment vehicle, TMRW Sports.