Governments in major European countries are putting pressure on FIFA and public broadcasters to resolve a dispute over broadcasting rights for the Women’s World Cup that threatens a blackout in football’s biggest markets.
The event is due to take place at the end of July in Australia and New Zealand, but football’s governing body and public broadcasters from the “Big Five” European nations taking place in the World Cup — Italy, Germany, France, the UK and Spain — haven’t yet reached a deal on the value of the TV rights. FIFA rejected their bids last year for being too low, and last month threatened not to televise the tournament at all in those countries.
In a joint statement Wednesday, the sports ministers of the five nations called on “all parties involved to quickly reach an agreement.”
“We are aware of the legitimate interests and limited financial resources of both rights holders and independent broadcasters, all of whom need a viable funding model,” the statement reads. “Nevertheless, we are convinced that media coverage of the Women’s World Cup will be instrumental in raising the profile of women’s sports.”
The ministers’ statement hits at the heart of the dispute. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has chastised the broadcasters, calling the bids “simply not acceptable” and a “slap in the face” to all women given that viewing figures for the Women’s World Cup are 50% to 60% of the men’s event. However, others believe that a blackout only serves to impede the growth of women’s sport at a time when interest around the world is on an upward trend.
Offers for TV rights for the Women’s World Cup in Italy came in at less than 1% of the winning bid for last year’s Qatar World Cup, and at less than 3% in Germany, according to an industry source familiar with the situation. One reason for the low bids is that the games are taking place primarily during the European day, rather than the traditional prime time evening slot.
“We just want that the game is respected and that the right money is paid for that,” Infantino said last month in Los Angeles at an event to promote the 2026 World Cup being jointly hosted by Canada, the US and Mexico. He said that “some discussions” have started, without elaborating. A FIFA spokesman declined to comment further.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also spoken out on the dispute, urging all sides to come to a resolution particularly as public support for England’s Lionesses remains high following their victory in last year’s UEFA European Women’s Championship.
Grant Robertson, New Zealand’s sports minister, told Bloomberg News that he wants fans to be able to watch the tournament “but in a way that reflects the value we all place on our female athletes.”
The broadcasters’ reluctance to raise their bids comes despite surging interest in women’s sport, with huge strides in the amount of air time, both on free-to-air and increasingly Pay-TV networks, given to women’s football in Europe.
Data from Ampere Analysis shows that interest in women’s football has grown significantly in the main European markets, with those in Italy most interested. According to the data, 37% of fans in the fourth quarter of last year were interested in women’s football, compared to 18% a year earlier.
“Women’s football is building momentum in Europe and broadcasters have a responsibility to ensure that it continues through quality free-to-air coverage, not to mention the wider societal benefit of investing in women’s sport,” said Ampere Consumer Research Lead Minal Modha.
Other networks have also started to cash in on women’s football. In 2021, Sky Plc and the BBC signed a deal with England’s Women’s Super League, allowing it to earn TV rights revenue for the first time, while last year’s women’s Euros were shown by public sector broadcasters across the Big Five markets. Meanwhile, streaming company DAZN Group Ltd. reported a 42% increase in viewership for the women’s UEFA Champions League group stage matches year-on-year and will move the tournament fully behind a paywall next season.
Ed Ludlow, a senior media analyst at research firm Omdi, believes that the earlier broadcast times in Europe could actually be beneficial in giving greater exposure to the women’s game as “historically broadcasters have often overlooked women’s sport when it falls during prime time slots.”
One possible outcome is that FIFA broadcasts the games on its own streaming platform, FIFA+, instead of allowing a total blackout. The organization declined to comment about whether this is an option.
Even such a resolution, however, “could be damaging for the continued growth of the sport, which has benefited from the cooperation of the European free-to-air television media,” added Ludlow.
--With assistance from Matthew Brockett, Kwaku Gyasi and Iain Rogers.
