FIFA President Gianni Infantino has threatened some nations, including the United Kingdom, with a blackout from airing the competition this summer after being unsatisfied with the offers received to display the Women’s World Cup.
Infantino stated at a World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva that plans for a blackout in specific European countries may be put in place.
The tournament, which begins on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, faces time zone issues for several competing countries, but the governing body’s president Infantino has been disappointed by offers from Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France, calling them a “slap in the face.”
Infantino claimed that proposals ranging from £800,000 to £8 million had been received, a drop in the bucket compared to the men’s event, which brought in between £80m and £160m.
“To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Infantino said. “Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair, we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘big five’ European countries. Public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport. Women deserve it. Simple as that.”
Infantino also rejected worries about time zones, claiming that while games would not be televised during prime time, they would be shown at “quite a reasonable time” for European viewers.
According to a FIFA audit of the competition, 1.12 billion viewers watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France across all platforms, as the BBC and ITV are set to be among the British bidders for this year’s tournament.
It remains to be seen whether Infantino would follow through on his threat if broadcasters do not raise their offerings, though FIFA does have other options besides a blackout.
The organization has its own video streaming network, FIFA+, which allows them to broadcast straight to the consumer there or on its YouTube account – as some regions did this winter when the men’s tournament final was televised on YouTube.
In past World Cup editions, the women’s tournament was packaged with their male counterparts, so this is the first time a market value has been assigned to the Women’s World Cup.
A BBC representative stated, “we don’t comment on sports rights negotiations,” while ITV declined to comment as well.
