Desperate LIV Golf Series could offer live rights to TV networks for FREE

The LIV Golf Series are considering offering live TV rights to UK broadcasters free of charge amid their desperation to find a traditional broadcast partner.

Sportsmail has learned that a fresh round of negotiations with companies including Sky Sports, BT Sport and DAZN before Christmas failed to yield an agreement, leading LIV to consider radical alternatives ahead of the Saudi Arabia-funded rebel tour’s second season.

The inaugural LIV Series last year was only available to UK viewers via streams on Facebook, YouTube and its own website after organizers failed to reach an agreement with broadcasters, although DAZN did purchase the rights to show the events in other markets including Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan.

LIV are understood to have made a renewed push to sell the rights for its 14 tour events this year over the last few months without success. Only seven of the planned events have been announced.

Sky Sports’ reluctance to engage is largely based on their close alignment with the PGA Tour, with whom they signed a new deal to show 36 live events on top of their coverage of the four majors and the Ryder Cup last year, while BT Sport and DAZN were unhappy with the price being demanded by LIV, which may prompt a re-think.

Streaming giants Amazon and Disney have also declined to make LIV an offer for the UK rights.

LIV’s willingness to consider giving their rights away would not be unprecedented, although it would be a blow to the prestige of a project that has already cost Saudi’s Public Investment Fund over £1billion to poach some of the biggest names from the PGA Tour.

Sky Sports have previously been offered and accepted the rights to broadcast several short-form cricket tournaments due to the league owner’s desire to gain greater international exposure.

Golfweek Magazine reported last year that LIV had held talks with American network Fox Sports about buying airtime to ensure its tournaments gained more coverage in the United States, although that proposed deal has yet to materialise. There is no suggestion that UK broadcasters have been offered money to screen the LIV tour.