Several of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies will be knocking on FIFA’s door in pursuit of U.S. broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups.
According to a report by Alex Sherman of CNBC, Netflix, Disney, and YouTube “are all interested in challenging Fox for the U.S. broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cup.” The report adds that Amazon “could also enter the mix.” FIFA is expected to hold talks with prospective buyers in the next three months.
Per Sherman, FIFA plans to package both the English-language and Spanish-language rights for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups together, adding that “executives at various media companies are budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for the U.S. rights to each tournament across languages.”
Fox is paying a reported $485 million for the ongoing World Cup under a sweetheart deal stemming from FIFA’s move to shift the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to November and December. NBCUniversal is paying $600 million for Spanish-language rights to the ongoing World Cup, Sherman reports.
Last week, a report by Sports Business Journal indicated that NBCUniversal, the current Spanish-language World Cup rightsholder, was eyeing a combined English-language and Spanish-language rights package for the 2030 tournament, but Sherman reports that the company “isn’t likely to compete for the rights at a price nearing $2 billion.” Between its expensive NFL and NBA deals, and without Comcast’s backing pending an announced spinoff, NBCUniversal may not have the capital to compete for another multibillion-dollar rights deal.
Of course, both the 2030 and 2034 World Cups will take place in time zones that are less conducive for American viewership than the ongoing home World Cup. The 2030 tournament will be held primarily in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, while the 2034 edition is slated for Saudi Arabia. Another factor: similar to Qatar, it is unclear if the Saudi Arabia edition will be held in the traditional summer window.
Sherman notes that the three companies interested in rights — Netflix, Disney, and YouTube — all view the World Cup as a means of boosting their streaming platforms. Netflix, of course, already owns rights for the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups. Notably, Sherman mentions that Disney “could also air games on ESPN and ABC,” which would seem to imply the company could place some games exclusively on a streaming service, like Disney+ or ESPN Unlimited.
Given the interested parties, it appears bidding for the next two World Cups will be fierce.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.