SuperSport Faces Scrutiny After LIV Golf's South African Collapse
- SuperSport enthusiastically backed LIV Golf's South African arrival at Steyn City in March 2026
- The broadcaster continued covering the league's proposed revival after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing
- LIV Golf's reported liquidation raises fresh questions about SuperSport's association with the Saudi-backed competition
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SuperSport's association with LIV Golf has come under fresh scrutiny following confirmation that the Saudi-backed golf league will shut down, bringing an abrupt end to its ambitious expansion plans in South Africa.
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The broadcaster had been among the league's biggest media partners on the continent, helping bring its first African tournament to The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg in March 2026.
However, LIV Golf's announcement on Thursday, 5 November, that it would abandon its proposed restructuring and move towards liquidation has cast a new spotlight on the partnership and the broadcaster's enthusiastic backing of the competition.
According to SuperSport's report, LIV Golf's legal representatives confirmed during a US bankruptcy court hearing in New Jersey that the proposed LIV 2.0 relaunch would not proceed. The league intends to begin winding down its remaining operations on Monday.
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SuperSport had backed LIV Golf's African ambitions
In February 2026, LIV Golf announced the renewal of its broadcast partnership with SuperSport and Canal+ Group, securing coverage of all 14 league events across Africa for the season. The agreement also positioned SuperSport as a key broadcasting partner for the historic South African tournament, held from 19 to 22 March at Steyn City.
According to Tv with Thinus, SuperSport went beyond simply broadcasting the competition. It deployed more than 25 production personnel to help deliver international coverage, while also promoting the tournament across its platforms.
Rendani Ramovha, Canal+'s director of sports content for English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, expressed the broadcaster's enthusiasm for the partnership.
"As the broadcast partner to Africa's first-ever LIV Golf tournament, LIV Golf South Africa, SuperSport has gone out to match the innovation that LIV Golf has brought to the sport of golf," Ramovha said in a statement published by SuperSport on 18 March.
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The partnership was presented as an opportunity to showcase South African golf to an international audience and strengthen the sport's presence across the continent. However, the league's financial difficulties were already becoming a significant concern.
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Saudi funding withdrawal raises wider questions
The collapse comes months after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which had financed LIV Golf since its launch in 2022, announced that it would stop funding the competition beyond the 2026 season.
According to Reuters, the fund had invested more than $5 billion in the league before deciding that it no longer aligned with its investment strategy. LIV Golf subsequently pursued a restructuring agreement with BC Partners Credit, which had considered providing up to $300 million to help finance a proposed 2027 competition.
However, Reuters reported that the deal collapsed after several prominent players declined to commit to the revamped league. The developments also bring renewed attention to the human rights criticism that followed LIV Golf from its inception.
Human rights campaigners had accused Saudi Arabia of using high-profile sporting investments to improve its international reputation, a practice widely described as sportswashing.
The criticism was largely linked to Saudi Arabia's human rights record, including the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Reuters has reported on the criticism directed at LIV Golf over its association with the Saudi government, although Riyadh has denied accusations of human rights abuses.
For SuperSport, the collapse marks the end of a high-profile broadcasting partnership that had promised to bring a new era of golf coverage to African audiences.
Louis Oosthuizen quits LIV Golf
Briefly News previously reported that Louis Oosthuizen confirmed he will not re-sign with LIV Golf for its next phase, stepping away from both his playing role and captaincy
The 2010 Open champion described the move as the hardest decision he has had to make in his professional career
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Source: Briefly News
