GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — The only way to watch the game in Brazil, home of soccer fanatics and five-time world champions. All 104 World Cup matches It will be done through a streaming platform anchored by influencers.
Elsewhere, users can watch portions of the match live on YouTube and TikTok for the first time.
Forget the exclusivity of traditional wireless networks. This World Cup will be seen in a different light.
As FIFA promotes engagement, new generation of fans, Young viewers will have more options for accessing football’s showcase events after football’s governing body says it has signed a record number of broadcast partners for digital-only platforms. Thanks to what FIFA calls a “game-changing” partnership, the perspective of creators will be brought to the forefront to improve user experiences around the world.
The goal is to effectively provide an appetizer that captures the viewer’s attention and encourages them to return to traditional channels to watch the game.
This year’s World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Largest scale in history with 48 teams participating — begins Thursday and runs through July 19th.
Brazil’s CazéTV owns the rights to all matches
Brazil has historically been one of the countries with the most efforts. Social media and digital platforms.
FIFA took note of this and conducted a kind of test four years ago with popular streamer Casimiro Miguel, now 32 years old. Miguel has had success interacting with young sports fans on his Twitch channel. In the run-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA has reached a deal with him and his partner LiveMode to broadcast 22 matches on the CazéTV YouTube channel.
The experiment was deemed a huge success, with a more informal and conversational approach to broadcasts, increased fan engagement, and the inclusion of content creators as commentators. This led to an expansion of contracts for this year’s tournament. Kaze TV and It will be the only channel with rights to all 104 matches in Brazil, both digital and traditional. Globo, the network that has been the home of Brazilian soccer for decades, will broadcast 55 matches.
“FIFA is always looking at innovative ways to enhance the coverage of our flagship competitions, and the agreement with CazéTV is one example of this, ensuring that Brazilian soccer fans will have access to all 104 matches, while also helping to reach new audiences and demographics,” the governing body told The Associated Press in a statement.
Connection with Cristiano Ronaldo
Livemode, the Brazilian company that owns Kaze TV and broadcasts matches from content creators, announced last month that it was launching its international broadcasting division and that Cristiano Ronaldo was one of its shareholders.
Portugal’s LiveMode channel will broadcast one game a day during the World Cup, including all Portugal matches and the final. Ronaldo, 41, is one of the all-time greats in soccer. 6th World Cup appearance With the national team.
“We have a digital-first audience to connect with, and digital allows us to bring this new audience to major sporting events,” LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopez told The Associated Press. “Typically, this audience is younger and doesn’t just want to watch the game. They want to be part of the conversation, interact in real time, and feel part of a community.”
YouTube and TikTok sales
FIFA chose TikTok earlier this year As the first ‘preferred platform’ for video content on social media at the World Cup, we will provide creators with access to their content. World Cup broadcast rights holders can live stream some of the 104 matches on a dedicated hub on the TikTok app. And in March, FIFA Reached a deal with YouTube It also allows rights-holding broadcasters to live stream game action on video platforms. Rights holders can broadcast the first 10 minutes of the match.
“YouTube is where sports fans around the world watch before, during and after games, which is what makes our desired partnership with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup so unique,” said Angela Courtin, VP of Entertainment and Sports Marketing at YouTube. “With the incredible reach of our creator collective, giving FIFA’s media partners the means to upload even more premium content to their YouTube channel, and hosting the live YouTube FIFA Creators Cup in New York City this July, we are ushering in the next generation of soccer fans for years to come.”
Aiming for a world record
With the new deal, FIFA expects the 2026 World Cup to break all records regarding digital and streaming viewership.
In 2022, FIFA reported a total of 5 billion engagements During the tournament in Qatar, Of that, 2.7 billion came through digital and streaming services and 2.9 billion from terrestrial television. The final, won by Argentina, was watched by nearly 1.5 billion people, 237 million of whom were digital-only viewers, according to FIFA.
In the United States, fox has the rights Although FIFA did not have an exclusive deal with a digital platform for the 2026 World Cup, the network will stream all matches live and on-demand within the app. Streaming giant Netflix has secured broadcast rights in the United States. 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup, This is the most important deal FIFA has signed with a streaming service for major tournaments.
“We know that for sports to grow, it needs to occupy every screen and engage every viewer,” said LiveModeTV co-founder Lopez. “New audiences expect authenticity, interaction and different ways to follow the event. The World Cup remains the greatest sporting spectacle on earth, but the way we experience it has also become more social, more participatory, more accessible and more connected to the digital habits of each generation.”
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
