FIFA is poised for a substantial increase in US media rights for upcoming World Cups, with the starting price for the 2030 tournament potentially reaching $1 billion. This marks a projected 100% increase from the $485 million Fox Sports paid for the English-language rights to the current men's World Cup, which was considered a significant "steal" at the time. The shift reflects a seller's market, with numerous bidders, including streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, expected to drive up prices.
Experts like Doug Perlman of Sports Media Advisors and Daniel Cohen of Octagon's media advisory predict strong competition due to the World Cup's growing strategic value for media companies in driving subscriber acquisition and engagement. FIFA is reportedly considering packaging English and Spanish-language rights together for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, potentially fetching an eye-popping $3 billion. This bundling strategy aims to maximize revenue and prevent internal competition between US rights holders.
The current World Cup has seen record-breaking viewership, with one USMNT game drawing 26.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in history. However, the advantageous time zones for US viewers in the current tournament will not be replicated in 2030, with matches mostly five to eight hours ahead of US time, which could impact future viewership numbers. Nonetheless, factors like lucrative "hydration breaks" as a new revenue stream are expected to add to the World Cup's attractiveness to bidders, potentially generating an additional $300 million in incremental revenue.
Several major media players are expected to bid, including current rights holders Fox and Telemundo, as well as NBC Sports, ESPN, and tech giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney, and Google-owned YouTube.
