Caffeine TV Shuts Down, LIV Golf Loses Primary Coverage Partner

LIV Golf took a huge unexpected blow Wednesday as Caffeine.tv, the primary coverage partner for LIV's Friday opening rounds, announced it would be shutting down. The outage is effective immediately.

Hit Them Where It Hurts

While LIV Golf has acquired some of the biggest names in golf over the past few years, the circuit has struggled to obtain strong, consistent viewership. Regarding the latter, LIV hasn't been able to secure ample TV coverage for its tournaments.

Main coverage on weekends is typically spread between the CW and YouTube. Caffeine.tv came into the picture this year as a main streaming partner for LIV. The move was stunning to many due to unfamiliarity with Caffeine , which touted questionable viewership numbers from LIV Jeddah as it reported almost 2 million viewers. For comparison, that figure is higher than the opening rounds of the U.S. Open.

On Tap at the Tee Box

While LIV rosters talent, it still lacks viewership. Wednesday's development is a much bigger hit than many LIV supporters may believe — numbers don't lie.

LIV, now left without a primary streaming partner, still has six events remaining on the calendar, including its individual championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club just outside of Chicago and the team championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Texas. Both events are scheduled for September.

Golf enthusiasts can argue as much as they want about the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. But the fact is, heading into the heat of summer, one tour has the means to produce consistent coverage. Imagine the FedEx Cup not being available for streaming coverage. That's the reality LIV has to face moving forward with its schedule.

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