Broadcast rights for women’s sports are soaring, with the World Cup leading the way.
FIFA believes the value of the broadcast rights for the Women’s World Cup to be more than $300 million, a source familiar with the negotiation of rights for the tournament has told the Wall Street Journal. It’s the first time ever that FIFA has calculated the value of the women’s tournament separately from that of the men’s tournament.
The $300 million valuation would make it the most valuable women-only sporting event “in the world,” WSJ reports.
That number comes from packaged TV deals, similar to the one Fox has for the men’s and women’s World Cups through 2026, as well as from new rights sales for this summer’s tournament.
And the value could grow even more as time goes on. Last year, FIFA reportedly rejected a number of television rights bids due to what leaders saw as an undervaluing of the women’s tournament by broadcasters.
“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,” FIFA chief partnerships and media officer Romy Gai said at the time.