All articles tagged with #broadcast rights
Barcelona's penultimate preseason friendly against Basel in Switzerland is largely unavailable to international viewers due to a lack of overseas broadcast rights; Spain can watch via official channels or YouTube Premium, Africa has limited options on MBC Shahid/Action, and most regions have no legal way to view the game, though Barca Blaugranes will provide a live thread and a recap.
Prime Video will broadcast the NBA's Eastern Conference finals this season as part of the league's new 11-year media rights deals, with NBC sharing conference-final duties. The rights will rotate between Prime Video, NBC, and ESPN/ABC (which will handle the other conference final) over the decade-long deal, and each partner is slated to air three Eastern and three Western finals. The exact cadence isn’t fixed for this season, and viewership typically depends on team quality and series length.
FIFA will stage the World Cup final’s first official halftime show featuring Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and more to support education initiatives; the planned length is uncertain (reports cite 20–30 minutes) and could clash with IFAB rules; the stage will be on the MetLife Stadium pitch, with U.S. viewers able to watch on Fox (English) and Telemundo/Peacock (Spanish) and various streaming services; kickoff is 3 p.m. ET, so plan to be tuned in by around 3:45 p.m. local time, and note some markets (e.g., the UK) may or may not carry the broadcast.
MLS rolls out a World Cup–themed ad campaign featuring global stars and free-ticket promos, hoping to convert World Cup viewers into MLS fans, but its Apple TV deal and limited national TV slots could hinder post-World Cup visibility.
FIFA is examining a potential 64-team World Cup for 2030, possibly across six host nations with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay each hosting an opening match to mark the 100th anniversary, while the rest would be in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. A 64-team format would use 16 groups of four and 128 games, expanding broadcast inventory and likely lifting rights fees toward the $1.5–$2 billion range. Interest is expected from Fox, NBCUniversal, Netflix, YouTube, Apple, and Disney, with potential for splitting rights among multiple partners. A decision would need to come soon, since qualifying schedules for CONCACAF/UEFA are currently built around a 48-team field.
A global guide to watching all 104 2026 World Cup games, detailing free options in select countries (UK via BBC iPlayer/ITVX, Australia via SBS On Demand, Spain’s RTVE Play, Rai Play in Italy, M6 in France) and paid or mixed services elsewhere, plus tips to use a VPN to access streams from abroad and a rundown of US, UK, Australia, Spain, Italy, and Germany broadcast rights, the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams, and key upcoming fixtures.
FIFA has introduced three-minute hydration breaks in all 2026 World Cup matches to protect players from heat, but critics say the stops disrupt play and create predictable ad windows; analysts frame the move as part of a broader push to commercialize the tournament and capitalize on the US media market, with billions in broadcast rights and advertising at stake, while FIFA says the breaks ensure equal conditions and could evolve (likely shorter) as climate and broadcast economics continue to shape the event.
World Cup fans booed the tournament’s hydration breaks, viewing them as ad-driven pauses rather than necessary; Fox reportedly earns about $250 million from the breaks, fueling backlash over ad-led interruptions in the games.
The University of Hawaii will move about 110 home athletic broadcasts per year from Spectrum Sports to free, over-the-air Hawaii News Now (Gray Media), expanding access for fans in Hawaii and beyond. Outside Hawaii, broadcasts will transition from the Team1 app to the Mountain West app, with a potential new direct-to-consumer service. The change is expected to raise annual media revenue to roughly $7.5 million (from $3.2 million under the prior pay-per-view model) and increase exposure through the Mountain West framework, following a broader trend of teams making broadcasts more accessible even if revenues are distributed differently.
MLB owners push a salary-cap and a centralized national TV deal to end local game blackouts, arguing it would boost fans’ access and competitive balance; the players’ union disagrees on financial impact, and debates over revenue sharing and local rights signal a lengthy bargaining process ahead.
The Mountain West announced a 62-game 2026 football broadcast package across CBS Sports Network (14 games) and CBS Network (1), FOX (13), The CW (13), and the new MW+ service (21 games), featuring 41 national telecasts across 11 of 14 weeks and six Friday showcases. Highlights include Week 0: NDSU vs. Jacksonville State on CBS Sports Network and UNLV vs. Memphis on FOX; the MW opener is UNLV at Hawai‘i on The CW; Navy at Air Force on CBS on Oct. 3; and the championship game on FOX Dec. 4. The CW will air select NDSU games; kickoff times for FOX and MW+ schedules will be announced later, with more information at TheMW.com.
The Big Ten announced a record $1.37 billion revenue distribution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 to 18 member institutions, up from $883 million in 2024, driven by new broadcast rights deals and the expanded College Football Playoff as the conference added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington, supporting athletic opportunities for more than 14,000 student-athletes.
The NFL is shopping a five-game package for the 2026 season, with YouTube, Netflix, and Fox among bidders. Buyers can pick five games from a larger menu that could include international Week 1 in Australia, a Thanksgiving Eve game, a Black Friday game, and a Christmas Eve game. The move comes as the league faces antitrust scrutiny and debates over keeping standalone games on broadcast or free streaming, amid its broader pivot toward streaming.
President Trump issued an executive order to reserve an exclusive December window for the Army-Navy Game, directing the Commerce Department and the FCC to coordinate with the CFP Committee, NCAA, and media partners to prevent CFP/postseason broadcasts from airing during the game, and to consider public-interest status for the event, with costs borne by the Department of War.
BravesVision will be the Braves' team-owned media home, delivered via cable/satellite, Gray Media over-the-air, and an in-market Braves.TV direct-to-consumer option (no blackouts for Braves.TV); a separate out-of-market MLB.tv option remains for broader access with typical local blackout rules. Availability depends on distributors; pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but MLB.tv-like packages could be around $20/month. The move could boost in-market revenue and sidestep some league revenue-sharing rules, with more details to come ahead of Opening Day.