Netflix signals interest in men’s World Cup rights

Netflix has signalled interest in the US rights to future men’s World Cups as FIFA begins preliminary discussions with potential broadcasters for the 2030 and 2034 tournaments.Chief content officer Bela Bajaria said the company’s agreement to show the next two Women’s World Cups had established a relationship with FIFA that could lead to further talks. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Entertainment conference, she said: “We have a great relationship with [FIFA] because we have the Women’s World Cup and [we’re] having those conversations.”Bajaria said Netflix would continue to speak to rights holders about major sporting events, but did not commit the company to a bid or identify a package it would seek. Her comments place Netflix among the potential contenders as FIFA considers how to sell coverage of its most valuable competition in the United States.Netflix already holds US and Canadian rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, giving it an opportunity to demonstrate its football coverage to FIFA before the next men’s tournament. Its plans for those events include live matches and programming around the competition.The men’s rights would be a substantially different undertaking, involving a larger tournament, a longer run of matches and competition from established broadcasters as well as other streaming platforms. Fox showed this year’s men’s World Cup in the United States, while Disney and YouTube are among the companies reported to have expressed interest in future editions.How FIFA packages the rights will shape the field of bidders. A broadcaster seeking every match across both English and Spanish language coverage would face a different commitment from one pursuing a smaller package or a shared arrangement, and no terms for the future US sale have been announced.Netflix’s interest fits its approach to live sport, which has centred on events capable of attracting large audiences at a particular moment. The World Cup offers that scale, alongside an opportunity to reach viewers and advertisers across the duration of a tournament, although the company has yet to say whether the economics of a deal would suit its strategy.The next men’s World Cup will take place in 2030, primarily in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with matches also in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the competition’s centenary. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 edition.Bajaria’s comments amount to a public expression of interest rather than a rights agreement. They nevertheless give FIFA another prospective bidder as it assesses the balance between broadcast reach, streaming distribution and the value of its future US packages.