NFLX, DIS, YouTube Want FIFA's World Cup US Rights — Why A $2B Bidding War Is Brewing

FIFA is expected to begin talks with media companies in the coming months as competition heats up for the U.S. rights to the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups.

• Netflix, Disney, YouTube, Amazon and Apple are among the companies interested in challenging Fox for the next cycle of U.S. broadcast rights.
• FIFA is considering bundling English- and Spanish-language rights into a single package, a move that could significantly increase bids.
• Media executives are budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion per tournament, far above the cost of the current rights agreements.

Streaming giants Netflix Inc. (NFLX) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL) YouTube, alongside The Walt Disney Co. (DIS), are among the firms actively exploring bids for the broadcast rights to the next FIFA World Cups.

A massive bidding war is taking shape for the U.S. broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, as major streaming and traditional media companies look to challenge incumbent holders, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Negotiations between FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and prospective media partners are expected to begin within the next few weeks.

NFLX stock rose 0.8% after-hours, while Walt Disney shares (DIS) were flat. 

FIFA’s Language Bundling Strategy

FIFA has signaled to interested parties that it will likely sell the English- and Spanish-language U.S. broadcast rights as a single, combined package, CNBC reported.

Currently, the rights are split between Fox Corp.(FOX), which holds the English-language broadcast rights, and Comcast Corp.’s (CMCSA) NBCUniversal, which owns the Spanish-language rights via Telemundo.

By bundling the rights, FIFA is expected to create a premium tier that could squeeze out some traditional broadcasters. According to CNBC, media executives are budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion per tournament for the combined package. That threshold is reportedly expected to price out NBCUniversal, which is currently evaluating its finances following a corporate spin-out.

Mega Tech Firms Could Also Bid

The 2030 World Cup is slated to be held across Morocco, Portugal and Spain, while the 2034 tournament will take place in Saudi Arabia, presenting tougher time zones for live U.S. broadcasts than the current North American-hosted games.

Tech giants Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Apple Inc. (AAPL) could also emerge as potential bidders, unburdened by traditional television distribution models, CNBC noted.

The high-stakes interest highlights the growing reliance on live sports as a primary subscriber acquisition tool for digital platforms.

NLFX, DIS Stock: Retail View 

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits was ‘bullish’ for both NFLX and DIS stock while message volume was ‘low’ for NFLX and ‘high’ for DIS.

NFLX stock has lost 14% year-to-date, while DIS has dropped 19%. 

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