April 7 – England claims to be the home of football, but this summer, it won’t be the home of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) after both the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and their rivals, Independent Television (ITV) declined to move forward in televising the competition to be held in the United States.
While broadcaster DAZN has the global rights after paying a reported $1bn (£787m) to FIFA, they have also agreed to sublicense the tournament to key football territories in a bid to gain a large audience share. The platform did succeed in bringing Warner Bros on board in the US, but finding another major broadcaster is proving challenging.
In the UK, DAZN’s hopes now rest with Channel 4 or Channel 5 as potential partners, as the streaming service is not yet part of the UK lexicon when it comes to mass consumer broadcast. Currently, its typical audience for live sporting events is thought to be in the low tens of thousands, probably lower.
Both Channel 4 and 5 have experience in the football landscape. Channel 4 has broadcast the England men’s team live in 2023 and 2024, while Channel 5 has shown EFL highlights. Taking on a 63-match tournament is something else, though.
ITV had submitted a proposal to broadcast matches, however, they did not offer a rights fee. Meanwhile, the BBC has said that it cannot promote a commercial channel due to its public service remit, part of the conditions of the sale.
With both broadcasters heavily involved in the UEFA Women’s European Championships this summer, the ratings war that usually engulfs both channels will once again come to the fore, leaving only a little wriggle room for the CWC and its two English teams – Chelsea and Manchester City, neither of whom are having stellar seasons.
DAZN is based in London and is planning to send a production team and presenters to the US for the duration of the tournament.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1744057802labto1744057802ofdlr1744057802owedi1744057802sni@o1744057802fni1744057802