For the previous two weeks, Rick Shiels had been teasing an essential announcement.
Most followers of the YouTube content material creator weren’t precisely thrilled with the drawn-out course of. Essentially the most-liked touch upon the second teaser video posted to X was, “Think about considering you might be so huge you want to drag an announcement for 3 weeks.”
Given current information of YouTube golfers heralding their new possession stakes in area of interest gear corporations, many assumed Shiels was constructing as much as one thing mundane.
It seems that isn’t the case.
Shiels turned the primary full-time YouTube golfer to signal with LIV. He can be creating content material with LIV gamers together with YouTube star Bryson DeChambeau.
“This isn’t me taking part in in LIV Golf occasions,” Shiels stated. “I’m going to be making some unbelievable content material at each single LIV Golf occasion.”
Shiels defined that we are able to anticipate a number of totally different types of YouTube content material, which can reside on his personal channel. His “Breaking 75” collection will happen at every LIV venue; there can be a “10-Shot Problem” at every event; Shiels will take part in five-man scrambles with LIV groups; there can be 2 vs. 2 matches between LIV gamers; he can be part of instruction periods with LIV professionals; and Shiels can be internet hosting a podcast collection with LIV gamers.
The primary video, which has already been filmed, will function Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
It’s the primary main funding LIV is making within the YouTube golf area.
What does it imply?
This transfer is sensible for everybody concerned
Whereas it’s an attention-grabbing transfer for LIV to signal Shiels, there are not any actual surprises right here.
Shiels began on YouTube greater than 12 years in the past. He was among the many first to show a significant revenue and is about to eclipse three million subscribers, a mark that outpaces everybody else within the golf class. His movies have been considered practically a billion instances.
Nevertheless, Shiels doesn’t have anyplace close to the identical “market share” he used to, given the dramatic rise in competitors.
Of his 25 hottest movies within the channel’s historical past, none of them got here within the final 18 months. Viewership on his channel has been down barely—at a time when extra individuals are flocking to YouTube for his or her golf leisure.
Don’t get me unsuitable, Shiels continues to be a related character on YouTube however I wouldn’t put him within the prime 10-15 channels. His act has simply worn stale over the previous few years as newer, extra thrilling personalities have come alongside.
Signing with LIV is monetary safety and a rebrand for his channel, though some followers can be turned off by the transfer.
One more reason this isn’t stunning: Shiels has connections to the Saudis. Performance54—a advertising and PR agency owned by the Saudis and that works with LIV/Golf Saudi—is an proprietor in Shiels’ firm as nicely. You may dig lots deeper into that with John Barba’s investigative piece he printed in September 2022.
Final month, Shiels launched a podcast saying there could be fewer episodes and fewer YouTube movies being printed on his channel within the coming weeks. He had been producing much less content material during the last couple of months in 2024.
“That’s as a result of we now have obtained some outrageous, unimaginable, mind-blowing plans for 2025,” Shiels stated on the time. “And that isn’t an exaggeration.”
When photographs circulated of Shiels standing in entrance of the very same backdrop for promotional movies as different LIV golfers have, it turned apparent what that information could be.
As for LIV, going with the content material creation route is a simple determination they need to have made years in the past.
LIV’s rankings are abysmal as conventional golf on TV has been declining. Each LIV and the PGA Tour at the moment are scrambling to speculate extra in YouTube golf.
On the Tour facet, we now have seen the Creator Basic evolving right into a three-event collection for 2025. In addition they established a Creator Council to create extra official ties with YouTubers and different influencers within the sport.
Perhaps LIV’s solely path ahead for gaining actual traction is to signal YouTubers and create movies with its gamers. Had it gone all-in on that idea from the start, we is likely to be having a very totally different dialog.
Shiels is a strong identify to seize and I’m positive there can be extra YouTuber signings sooner or later.
The professional golf world is altering dramatically
Golf as an leisure product on TV is constant to undergo.
The Tour is getting shelled early in 2025. Ultimate-round viewership for The American Categorical final week was down 56 % which is in step with a few of the decreases we noticed in Hawaii.
As the children would say, there’s “damaging infinity” buzz for Tour golf proper now.
We’ve got Justin Thomas writing a letter to his fellow gamers begging them to think about extra on-course interviews.
That’s nice and every thing … however the Tour’s TV product is atrocious for different causes. One research executed this weekend concluded that only one.2 golf pictures are proven per minute on a Tour telecast. Greater than 40 % of the pictures proven are putts. And followers get inundated with commercials alongside the best way.
Why would we watch that?
TGL, the Tour-backed simulator league, has some good issues going for it however seems to be extra of a “background noise” present. After two weeks of first rate rankings, peaking at 1.05 million, viewership for the third match cratered to 682,000. The typical age of the viewer is barely 51, lots youthful than the Tour’s conventional broadcast. I believe it’s positive for Tuesday nights within the winter however the novelty is carrying off—it doesn’t look to be something approaching a game-changer at this level.
LIV has a brand new TV take care of Fox Sports activities that might be helpful. The league has a protracted uphill climb given how final yr’s championship couldn’t even crack 100,000 viewers.
There may be a number of apathy throughout the board. I don’t watch practically as a lot golf as I as soon as did.
Golf leisure is turning into extra decentralized as followers can watch a greater product on demand. Try this video of Tiger giving Grant Horvat a lesson and inform me that isn’t far more entertaining than seeing Sepp Straka win The American Categorical. It’s not even shut.
What occurs subsequent?
In some type or trend, you’re going to be seeing much more YouTubers exhibiting up on the Tour and LIV.
It’s a matter of survival. With out them, conventional golf protection might wilt into oblivion.
Prime Picture Caption: Rick Shiels embraces LIV participant Sergio Garcia. (GETTY IMAGES/David Cannon)
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