China state broadcaster, Fifa agree World Cup TV deal covering 4 tournaments until 2031
State broadcaster says agreement with governing body was reached on Friday and will cover men’s and women’s events
China’s state broadcaster and football’s world governing body Fifa have come to an agreement over showing the World Cup, less than a month before the tournament kicks off.
In an official announcement on Friday, China Media Group, CCTV’s parent company, said the deal would run until 2031 and take in the next two men’s and women’s tournaments.
Apart from this summer’s event in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the agreement covers the following men’s tournament in 2030, as well as women’s World Cups in 2027 and 2031.
“Under the agreement, China Media Group has secured exclusive mainland China media rights and sublicensing rights for all platforms across the period, including free-to-air television, pay-TV, the internet and mobile devices,” CMG said in a statement.
“China Media Group is one of Fifa’s important global partners, and the two sides have worked together since 1978. CMG will leverage its all-media communication matrix and world-class production and broadcasting capabilities to present audiences with a thrilling football spectacle.”
Fifa on Friday confirmed the agreement with CMG, saying the broadcast of the tournament in China would reinforce the country’s national youth development strategy but did not mention the cost of the deal.