Sports Sports: There is uncertainty regarding the telecast of the 2026 Football World Cup starting next month in India and China, the world’s two most populous countries. Due to the ongoing situation regarding broadcast rights, it may be difficult for millions of football fans in these two countries to watch the tournament.
In India, according to reports, the Reliance-Disney joint venture had offered around $20 million for the World Cup broadcast rights. However, this amount was much lower than FIFA’s expected price and was not accepted. FIFA, football’s global governing body, did not consider the offer to be in line with its assessment.
According to sources, Sony Pictures Networks also participated in the talks, but ultimately decided not to make any formal bid on the World Cup broadcast rights for India. Due to this, the situation regarding the telecast of the tournament in India has become more unclear.
At the same time, in the case of China, no official broadcast deal has been announced yet. According to FIFA, China contributed about 49.8 percent of total viewing hours on global digital and social platforms during the 2022 World Cup, highlighting the importance of its viewership.
But in the current situation, as there is no clear agreement regarding the broadcasting rights of the 2026 World Cup in China, there is uncertainty about watching the tournament for millions of football fans there.
Experts believe that the resolution of broadcasting rights in big markets like India and China is also a big challenge for FIFA, as these countries play an important role in global viewership and digital viewership.
At present, there has been no official confirmation of talks or solutions regarding broadcasting in the two countries, and the situation is expected to become clearer in the future.
Comments are closed.