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NEW YORK (Dec. 20, Reuters) – FIFA and Netflix NFLX.O have signed a deal to broadcast the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women's World Cup in the United States, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.
FIFA said the Women's World Cup will be the first competition to be acquired in full by Netflix and U.S.-based fans would be able to watch every match live. The agreement also includes Puerto Rico while it will cover all languages, with a dual telecast in English and Spanish in the U.S.
“As a marquee brand and FIFA's new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women's football,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“Besides broadcasting the tournaments themselves, Netflix will play a key role in terms of bringing the fascination of women's football to a multi-million audience in the lead-up to both final tournaments, thereby enabling us to further increase their appeal.”
The 2027 Women’s World Cup is set to be played in Brazil between June 24 and July 25, the first time the tournament will be held in South America. The 2031 edition’s hosts are yet to be decided by the FIFA Congress.
Apart from live coverage, Netflix will also produce a documentary series in the lead-up to both tournaments.
The deal is the latest in Netflix’s embrace of sports, as the streaming service looks to build on its strategy providing proprietary content that viewers cannot find elsewhere.
Netflix said more than 100 million people worldwide tuned in to watch a fight between retired great Mike Tyson and social media influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul last month.
The streaming giant also put on two live NFL games for the first time on Christmas Day.
Tense negotiations over television deals for the 2023 edition of the tournament nearly led to it being blacked out in key countries, as FIFA sold the broadcast rights for the women’s competition separately from the men's for the first time.
The tournament, which culminated in a blockbuster finale between England and Spain, went on to attract record viewership and 12 million tuned in to BBC One to watch the championship match in the UK.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru and Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Alison Williams, Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)
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