The Seven Network has confirmed it has acquired the Australian free-to-air rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup which will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August next year.
Seven will deliver the games of one of the most-loved sporting teams in Australia, the Matildas, in every match of their FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign as they battle the best in the world.
The free-to-air exclusive deal covers broadcast and digital rights, ensuring comprehensive live and free coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup across Seven’s free-to-air channels and the network’s digital streaming platform, 7plus.
From Thursday, 20 July until Sunday, 20 August, 15 key matches – including the opening match, Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals and the Final – will be broadcast live and free on Seven and 7plus, with Seven’s matches also available to stream on-demand via 7plus.
A daily highlights program will also be broadcast on the screens of Seven throughout the competition period, following an extensive lead up program.
The rights have been sub-licensed by Optus, with Seven and Optus Sport developing a range of innovative plans to ensure Australians have the best possible coverage of the entire 64 game tournament.
Seven’s Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin said:
“Seven has a long and proud history of supporting Australian athletes on the world stage and delivering an exceptional broadcast experience for fans, and we cannot wait to embark on another world-class international event, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.
“We saw during Seven’s award-winning Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games coverage that the Matildas are one of the most-loved sporting teams in the country, and we are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our rich story-telling capabilities to this incredible team of athletes.
“The Seven team is world-class when it comes to building the narrative and emotion around big cultural moments. Across the years, we have demonstrated the power of this across major sporting events like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup, Rugby League World Cup and many more,”
“We are looking forward to working with Optus Sport, FIFA and Australia’s wonderful athletes to present a fantastic competition in 2023.”
FIFA Women’s World Cup COO [Australia], Jane Fernandez, said:
“FIFA are excited to welcome Seven as the Australian free-to-air broadcaster of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™. This tournament will truly be a defining moment in Australian sporting history, and the partnership with Seven ensures all fans in Australia will have the chance to see the biggest women’s sporting event in the world.
“Seven’s world-class coverage will bring women’s football in front of new and wide-ranging audiences and will play an integral role in making the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ accessible to every Australian.
“We are seeing unprecedented growth in women’s football globally and look forward to working with Seven as we go Beyond Greatness to deliver the biggest and best FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will be the biggest in history, with 32 nations competing across 64 matches for the highly-coveted title.
The world’s largest women’s single-sport event will take place in nine host cities and 10 stadia across Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time it has been played in two nations. The opening ceremony and first match will take place at Eden Park in Auckland on 20 July, while the 20 August final will be played at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will air in the US on Fox’s platforms, but things are a bit less certain in some markets abroad. According to
Bloomberg, FIFA has rejected bids from broadcasters in a handful of countries, claiming that they’re too low. “This is not a case of being priced out, but rather testament to a lack of willingness of broadcasters to pay what the women’s game deserves,” Romy Gai, FIFA’s chief partnerships and media officer, said in an interview.
FIFA has already turned down offers to broadcast the tournament in Italy, Germany, France and the UK and expects a similar outcome in Spain, Gai said. He declined to say which broadcasters had submitted bids for games. The alleged low-balling from Italy, Germany, France, the UK, and Spain is somewhat surprising, given that Germany, France, and England all made the semifinals of this summer’s wildly successful UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 [while Spain was bounced by
England in the quarterfinals]. However, next summer’s tournament will take place in Australia and New Zealand, with matches likely starting at inconvenient times in Europe. For instance, a 7 PM local kickoff in Sydney would begin at 9 AM in London. That’s a tough sell during the week, and an even tougher sell when matches begin even earlier. The United States are the reigning back to back Women’s World Cup champions. For whatever it’s worth, a 7 PM kickoff in Sydney would begin at 4
AM in New York. That sure isn’t ideal!
[Bloomberg]
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.