FIFA President Gianni Infantino has once again called for higher offers in poker for TV rights for the women’s World Cup. The head of the world association also threatened that the tournament could not be broadcast.
“The offers from the broadcasters, especially from the five major European countries, are still very disappointing and simply unacceptable,” wrote the head of the world association (53) on Instagram. Infantino did not name the countries specifically, according to dpa information, Germany is one of them.
Unsuccessful bidding process
A good eleven weeks before the start of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (July 20th – August 20th) it is still unclear in Germany who will broadcast the tournament on television. FIFA recently referred to a previously unsuccessful tender process for the rights. “It is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the Women’s World Cup,” Infantino wrote. “We will therefore be forced not to broadcast the Women’s World Cup in the big five European countries if the offers continue to be unfair.”
German broadcasters have not yet commented on the negotiation poker with FIFA. At the tournament, the German vice European champions, headed by national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, will meet Morocco, Colombia and South Korea in the preliminary round.
Infantino also addressed the issue at a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva. He argued that FIFA would increase its payments (bonuses and organizational costs) at the World Cup by a third from 2019 to 152 million US dollars (139 million euros). The ratings for the women’s World Cup would be 50 to 60 percent of the ratings for men’s tournaments. However, the broadcasters’ offers are 20 to 100 times lower.
Last year’s European Championship in England was a ratings hit in Germany: the live broadcast of the final between Germany and England (1:2) at Wembley Stadium was the most-watched television program of the entire year with 17.952 million viewers.
