LIV Golf app malfunctions yet again, leaving worldwide viewers with awful viewing experience for Round 1 of LIV Golf Riyadh
6 February 2025 - SHANK Media, by Matt Hooper:
"Our new partner, whoever that is after this year, I think is going to be more focused and centric on digital and streaming," said Phil Mickelson last autumn, indicating a pivot away from conventional TV for LIV Golf. If your model is to be based around streaming then it is absolutely essential that the technology works, and the technology, it seems, failed LIV Golf on day one of their fourth season on Thursday in Riyadh.
LIVGolf+ launched in 2023, and it stank the place out, constantly crashing, but thankfully then viewers in the UK had YouTube to fall back on, and DAZN had some kind of deal to stream LIV Golf, giving UK viewers potentially 3 options to view events. In 2025 LIV Golf has pivoted away from YouTube, and has not re-signed with DAZN (extraordinarily), leaving the updated LIV Golf app as the ONLY option to view the golf.
I came in late and missed the first 8 holes live, so I switched on the LIV Golf app on my TV via my Amazon Fire stick, hoping for a better experience than last time. However immediately the warning signs were there. There was no option to watch from the start, so when you clicked on to the live feed you had to shield your eyes from seeing the live action if you wanted to watch from the start, whilst rewinding back to the beginning. Once I had reached the start of the broadcast there was a significant sound issue, which meant the introduction from Arlo White was complete silence, and we had no vision of the broadcast team, as there should have been when presenting from the booth. This issue occurred again at the now traditional mid-round update from Dom Boulet and co, but worse was to come. With 7 holes to play the stream stopped. Full stop. With no chance of relaunching it to continue watching the first round.
This meant I missed Adrian Meronk birdie four of his last six holes to take the lead, and shoot a round of 62.
Others have had similar experiences.
At 10pm on Thursday the LIV Golf website is still having issues when it comes to its video and streaming, as shown below.
If you are going to build your future on streaming then you absolutely must either have the technology to do it at scale yourself, or partner with a streaming giant, let's say like DAZN. It is simply inexplicable that DAZN wouldn't continue to stream LIV Golf when they have a very close relationship with Saudi Arabia, as the global broadcast partner of Riyadh Season, and the exclusive worldwide broadcaster of the Saudi Pro League. The Public Investment Fund is said to be a potential investor in DAZN as well.
And if DAZN isn't an option, then why on earth stop using YouTube? Yes, LIV Golf wants to get to the point where it has broadcast partners around the world, and it is admirable they are trying to operate their own app and streaming platform, but the technology they use simply isn't of the standard required. To not have the easy ability to start watching from when you want, is ludicrous in 2025.
Things simply have to change if LIV Golf is to serve the loyal worldwide fan base it has built up since 2022.
Comments