Zurich, July 21 (Representative) Following the completion of several deals in Asia, FIFA on Friday announced that it has put in place a global network of broadcast partners for the biggest ever FIFA Women’s World Cup.Recently-completed free-to-air deals include Japan with NHK and China PR with CCTV. Before kick-off in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on Thursday, sales were also concluded in Central Asia (Saran), Chinese Taipei (ELTA), Hong Kong (PCCW), the Maldives (Medianet), Mongolia (Content Distribution LLC) and the Philippines (Cignal TV).This means that the tournament – which commenced with record-breaking attendances in both host countries on Thursday – will be shown in over 200 territories, through 130 broadcasters and FIFA’s own platform FIFA+ in the remaining markets. At least 70 of the broadcasters will be present during the competition in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, according to FIFA media release. In order to accelerate the commercial growth of the women’s game, FIFA decided to sell the media rights on a standalone basis wherever possible, resulting in enhanced revenues from a range of media partners new and old. “We are delighted with the final sales result, which will ensure the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is one of the greatest sporting events ever and will be viewed in every corner of the world,” said FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai.
“We saw from the tournament in France in 2019 that women’s football presented a huge opportunity, which is why we took the decision to sell the rights for 2023 on a standalone basis. That decision has now been fully justified,” Gai said.”We are especially happy that the tournament is widely available on free-to-air which gives us the chance to attract new audiences for women’s football. The revenues from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be entirely reinvested in women’s football, helping it to develop still further in the future,” Gai added.Throughout the sales process, FIFA has taken advantage of the opportunities offered by social media to create additional value and reach younger audiences. These have included a deal with TikTok, the first ever with a social media platform, for tailored social media content including behind-the-scenes moments. FIFA is using its own platform FIFA+, launched last year, to show the entire competition live in certain territories including Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 will conclude on August 20 with the Final in Stadium Australia in Sydney/Wangal. In total, ten Stadiums across nine host cities will host the 64 matches contested by the 32 teams.