“The offers from the broadcasters, especially from the five major European countries, are still very disappointing and simply unacceptable,” wrote the FIFA President on Instagram with a view to the award of TV rights to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The five big countries usually mean Germany, France, England, Italy and Spain.
Infantino: “Public law must follow words with deeds”
Infantino made public broadcasters particularly responsible. They now have to follow their words with deeds, after they have often criticized the lack of equal pay for players. FIFA has taken a first step and significantly increased the prize money, even if it is not yet equal to that of the men, said Infantino. But that is the goal. However, some public broadcasters would offer only one to ten percent of what they pay for the men’s tournaments.
“It is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the Women’s World Cup,” Infantino wrote. “We will therefore be forced not to broadcast the Women’s World Cup in the big five European countries if the offers continue to be unfair.” Another means of exerting pressure could be FIFA’s new video platform, FIFA+, which could be used to distribute images where no agreements are reached if there is no agreement.
ARD and ZDF: “Offer prices in line with the market”
In Germany, ZDF had already stated before Infantino’s statements that they wanted to show the tournament. But: “ZDF’s offers for the acquisition of sports rights are based, among other things, on the market price for the respective sports right. The market value can deviate significantly from the price expectations of rights marketers.”
FIFA itself warned of the kick-off times for the European market
A problem for the European broadcasters is the venue, the time difference is big. The German team plays in the preliminary round on weekdays at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. CEST. Spain is sometimes at 9 o’clock. But there are also numerous appointments in the middle of the night, and the broadcasters also buy these games.
FIFA itself explained that this is a problem in a review report on the applications submitted. At the time, Australia and New Zealand were said to be very appealing to the Asian market. “On the other hand, a relative decline in spectator numbers could be expected in Europe,” FIFA wrote at the time.
FIFA also wants to make money away from the men’s World Cup
At this World Cup, the men’s and women’s tournaments will be sold separately for the first time. FIFA wants to get out of the four-year rhythm of earning money and into permanent income. The general upgrading of the women’s World Cup is part of the strategy, as is the expansion of the men’s Club World Cup. The tender for the media rights for Germany was carried out relatively late, officially on January 12, 2023. The deadline for submitting offers did not end until February 14, 2023.
Meanwhile, Germany is applying with Belgium and the Netherlands for the 2027 World Cup. Competition comes from South Africa, Brazil and together from the USA and Mexico.