FIFA, Netflix agree to US broadcast agreement for 2027 and 2031 Women's WC

GENEVA: As part of its ongoing push into live sports, Netflix has acquired the US broadcasting rights to the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

The agreement, which was made public on Friday, is the biggest FIFA-streaming service partnership for a major tournament. Although international women's football events have had difficulty attracting high-priced offers, the value was not given.

“Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches,” its chief content officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. “It’s also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport.”

Last month, Netflix made its first into live sports, with over 60 million households tuning in to a highly anticipated boxing battle between social media star Jake Paul and retired heavyweight great Mike Tyson.

However, some viewers complained about streaming issues. On Christmas Day, Netflix will also show two NFL games: the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans.

In May, a three-year contract was revealed, which includes that. In order to reach the largest audiences, World Cups are usually televised on public networks that are free to air. FIFA received less than 10% of the 2022 World Cup from the last women's tournament in 2023.

Public broadcasters, particularly those in Europe, were publically chastised by FIFA President Gianni Infantino for undervaluing offers to broadcast the 2023 tournament, which was held in Australia and New Zealand. That tournament was broadcast by Fox in the US, AP reported.

“This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game,” Infantino said.

The World Cup rights represent another significant step in Netflix's push into live content. Netflix has developed a recipe to help sell more advertising, which has been a primary objective for the firm since it launched a low-cost version of its streaming service with advertisements two years ago.

The ad-supported version is now the fastest-growing segment of Netflix's service, albeit the majority of its 283 million global users continue to pay for higher-priced versions without commercials.

However, Netflix continues to strive to sell more advertisements in order to increase its revenue, which is estimated to be around $30 billion. Netflix executives believe that it will take two or three years for ad sales to become a significant portion of the company's revenue.

Netflix aims to spend over $17 billion on programming this year, a budget that was previously devoted almost completely to written TV shows and films. However, Netflix is now investing a large portion of that budget in sports and live events, making it a formidable challenger to traditional media companies bidding for the same rights.

FIFA will most likely use the Netflix deal to fuel hardball discussions with European broadcasters. Kieran Maguire, a football financial specialist and co-host of The Price of Football podcast, said the transaction was "a bit of a gamble" for FIFA and "saber-rattling" by Infantino.

“(Netflix) get experience of football broadcasting, FIFA can say, ‘we are now partnering with a blue chip organization, so watch out you nasty Europeans,’” Maguire, an academic at the University of Liverpool, said in a telephone interview.