July 24 – FIFA has said that despite difficulties in concluding broadcast contracts, they nevertheless provide a “strong global platform” for the Women’s World Cup.
FIFA was still completing broadcast deals right down to the tournament kick-off with key free-to-air deals concluded in Japan with NHK and China PR with CCTV.
Last minute sales were also concluded in Central Asia (Saran), Chinese Taipei (ELTA), Hong Kong (PCCW), the Maldives (Medianet), Mongolia (Content Distribution LLC) and the Philippines (Cignal TV).
“This means that the tournament will be shown in over 200 territories, through 130 broadcasters and FIFA’s own platform FIFA+ in the remaining markets. At least 70 of the broadcasters will be present during the competition in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand,” said FIFA.
FIFA took the decision to unbundle the Women’s broadcast rights from the men’s rights. Previously buyers of the Men’s World Cup received the Women’s for free as part of their contract.
It is undoubtedly the smart move but FIFA met with resistance from broadcasters who were left with little time to budget for a new big money acquisition that had not been on their radar, and for a competition that for most of the big spending broadcast markets was on the other side of the world and outside of their prime time slots.
FIFA had budgeted for $300 million in broadcast sales but actually achieved about $200 million, according to reports. It would be easy to say that FIFA got it wrong, and the vicious PR game waged by FIFA president Gianni Infantino would have won him few friends in the commercial community when he said that the broadcast offers were “a slap in the face of all women worldwide”, accusing them (and in particular Europe’s big broadcast buyers) of misogony.
Time will tell whether Infantino has bitten the hand that feeds him with his comments.
However, $200 million, if that really is what was achieved, is a significant broadcast number and dwarfs all other sports in the global marketplace outside football for a one-off event.
“We are delighted with the final sales result, which will ensure the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is one of the greatest sporting events ever and will be viewed in every corner of the world,” said FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai.
“We are especially happy that the tournament is widely available on free-to-air which gives us the chance to attract new audiences for women’s football. The revenues from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be entirely reinvested in women’s football, helping it to develop still further in the future.”
FIFA has launched its own streaming business, FIFA+, and is using the platform to broadcast a number of games into select territories. FIFA has ambition for its channel but needs to be careful of its own self-belief and ambition.
As one broadcast professional said to Insideworldfootball. “FIFA needs to decide whether it is a football organisation with events, or is a broadcaster. FIFA built its brand on our backs and with our money. We won’t be paying for the financing of a competitor if they really want to be in our business. They do have a tendency to overplay their hand and competency in various businesses – just take at the EA Sports deal as an example, how much has that cost them, not just in lost license fees but in the cost of coming up with an alternative?”
At the moment everything is rosy and FIFA and its broadcast partners are in a ‘loving’ marriage of convenience. But as the men’s World Cup moves to the US one is reminded of the bumper sticker often seen in the south: ‘We aren’t beaten, we’re just reloading”.
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