As the FIFA World Cup continues to attract massive audiences, major media companies are preparing to bid for the U.S. broadcast rights to the upcoming tournaments. Netflix, Disney, and YouTube are reportedly interested in challenging Fox, which currently holds the rights. Amazon and Apple may also join the bidding, indicating a potential bidding war.
FIFA is expected to begin discussions with media partners in the next three months, and it has indicated that it may sell English- and Spanish-language rights as a single package, which could drive up the overall price. Previous deals saw Fox pay $485 million for English-language rights and Telemundo $600 million for Spanish-language rights.
Executives are budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for each tournament's rights, reflecting the high demand for World Cup content. Despite the less favorable time zones for the 2030 and 2034 tournaments, the strong ratings from this year's World Cup are likely to influence the bidding process positively.
Recent matches have drawn record viewership, with the U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina averaging over 26 million viewers, and the combined audiences for U.S. games rivaling NFL playoff ratings. This competitive landscape underscores the importance of the World Cup as a major opportunity for media companies to enhance their streaming services and attract new subscribers