Saudi-funded LIV Golf has refuted a report on Tuesday that it was close to a US television deal in which it would buy time to be shown on Fox Sports 1.
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Golfweek cited multiple sources it did not identify in saying the agreement is still being finalised.
It would go against what Greg Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, told a Chicago radio station two weeks ago.
"We're talking to four different networks, and live conversations where offers are being put on the table. They can see what we're delivering," he said.
LIV Golf issued a statement that the report was "incomplete and inaccurate," and that it is ahead of schedule in its inaugural year, including such areas as broadcast rights.
"As we have stated previously, LIV Golf is just beginning its process and is in active discussions with several companies about broadcasting the LIV Golf League," the statement said.
"We caution that no one should draw any conclusions about potential media rights given that we are still in the middle of negotiations with several outlets."
Fox Sports to declined comment.
Networks typically pay a rights fee to broadcast a sport. The PGA Tour, for example, this year began an expanded media rights deal for its tournaments to be shown on CBS, NBC, Golf Channel and ESPN+. The nine-year deal is worth an estimated $US7 billion ($A11b).
In this case, LIV Golf would pay for the time slot and be responsible for the cost of production and any advertising to be sold. In some time-buy cases, the deal includes a few promotional spots to let viewers know when it will be aired.
The league has paid enormous signing fees to attract players, and each tournament offers $US25 million ($A38m) in prize money. It does not have any visible corporate support.
Getting the major networks seemed to be a long shot because of their existing agreements with the PGA Tour and the animosity between the rival circuits.
The source of LIV Golf's deep pockets -- Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund -- also prompted protests at some tournaments staged in the US over the summer.
LIV Golf has been shown only on its YouTube channel, Facebook and its website, and viewership numbers have been modest.
The series moves to Thailand and Saudi Arabia next month before ending its inaugural season near Miami for a team championship.
It was not clear if any television deal would start in Miami or wait until 2023, when LIV Golf has said it would have a full schedule. The 2023 schedule is not likely to be released until November.
Golfweek reported that LIV wanted a rights fee for the second year of any deal and a guaranteed time slot, but Fox wasn't interested.
LIV Golf launched in early June and now has 12 of the top 50 players in the world ranking, most notably Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Australia's Cameron Smith, who officially joined LIV Golf a month after winning the British Open.
Australian Associated Press
