By Samindra Kunti
August 21 – In 2015 Brazilian broadcasting behemoth TV Globo invested about €335 million in football and TV-rights, but its vice-like grip over football in the country is for the first time being seriously challenged by competitors, with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Sports at the forefront.
TV Globo has been a mammoth in the Brazilian television landscape, ever since the military dictatorship relinquished power and Brazil turned into a brimming young democracy. Globo dominates primetime broadcasting with its never-ending soap operas and the national football championship, the Brasileirão.
Fox Sports had been a peripheral broadcaster in South America since 1995, but penetrated the Brazilian market in 2011 by obtaining the TV rights to broadcast the two premier South American club competitions, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sul-Americana.
In 2012 Corinthians, one of Brazil’s leading clubs, won the Copa Libertadores and, as a result, viewing figures skyrocketed for Fox Sports. TV Globo conceded ground in allowing Fox Sports to broadcast the Brazilian Cup. Globo still dominated coverage of the 2014 World Cup, because of their traditionally close ties with the Brazilian Football Confederation CBF.
This year TV Globo spent €335 million on Brazilian football, according to Globo sports director Marcelo Campos Pinto. €165 million was spent directly on TV rights with Flamengo and Corinthians benefiting the most from TV Globo’s cash.
The rise of Fox Sports has fragmented the Brazilian football TV rights market. Local broadcaster TV Record has for years been trying to break TV Globo’s Brasileirão monopoly. Time Warner has the broadcasting rights for the European Champions League from 2015-2018.
If TV Globo wants to maintain its stranglehold on Brazilian football in a more transparent football rights market it will have to be prepared to spend big, and probably bigger, again.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734889753labto1734889753ofdlr1734889753owedi1734889753sni@i1734889753tnuk.1734889753ardni1734889753mas1734889753