According to a report by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post on May 10, FIFA officials are heading to China in an effort to persuade CCTV to purchase the broadcast rights for this year’s World Cup, slashing the initial asking price by more than 50%.
The original demand of $300 million has been reduced to between $120 million and $150 million. However, this remains above the $80 million that CCTV has reportedly indicated it is willing to pay.
Local media reports indicate that a FIFA delegation, including Secretary General Mattias Grafström and media rights chief Jean-Christophe Petit, will travel to Beijing this week to discuss the matter with CCTV officials. Both sides are said to be optimistic about reaching an agreement, with a potential announcement in the latter half of May. FIFA is prepared to make “significant concessions” for the tournament.
The negotiations are expected to focus on a package deal covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cup broadcast rights. The 2030 edition will be jointly hosted by six nations: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
Despite the price reduction, Chinese fans remain unimpressed. Many argue that since China’s men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup, FIFA “should be paying us instead.” They point out that four years ago, Chinese viewers accounted for 49.8% of total global viewing time on digital and social platforms for the World Cup.
One netizen commented on social media: “Without the attention of over a billion people, their ad spots are useless. So they should pay us to broadcast their content!”
Sources: Reference News, Dazhong Daily, Jiangsu News
