A broadcasting deal has finally been agreed to show the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with the BBC and ITV set to spearhead the UK’s coverage.
Bitter negotiations have been ongoing for the last few weeks with concerns growing that the tournament would be left without a broadcaster. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had suggested that a European TV blackout could have been brought into force.
It was suggested that broadcasters had only offered $1m-$10m (£800,000-£8m) for the rights, compared with $100m-$200m for the men's tournament. However, it now appears that both parties have found an agreement.
All 64 matches of the tournament will be broadcast on either BBC or ITV up to the final that will be live on both channels. Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: "We have shown every Women's World Cup on the BBC since 1999 and we are happy to extend our partnership with Fifa for the upcoming tournament.
"The growth of the women's game is extraordinary, demonstrated by the 28 million who watched BBC coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup and the huge audience of 17.4 million who watched our coverage of the Euro 2022 final last summer on TV.
"In partnership with ITV, we are delighted to make this World Cup available to the widest possible audience and free to air."
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Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, also echoed those thoughts. He said: "We're delighted to be able to bring comprehensive coverage of the Women's World Cup, free to air to our audiences with both live and highlights broadcasts across ITV and ITVX.
"This tournament promises to provide memorable moments with the popularity of women's football continuing to grow."
As part of the fresh agreement, both the BBC and ITV have partnered with the European Broadcasting Union, with coverage set to grow even after the World Cup has concluded in August.
FIFA President Infantino said: "Fifa is delighted to widen the deal with the European Broadcasting Union for the transmission of the upcoming Women's World Cup to include the five major markets within their existing networks, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as Ukraine, thus ensuring maximum exposure for the tournament.
"As part of this agreement, the EBU has committed to working towards broadcasting at least one hour of weekly content dedicated to women's football on its own digital platform and broadcaster network."
After lifting the Euros at Wembley last summer, Sarina Wiegman ’s England side will be aiming to add more silverware as they travel down under. They kick off their group stage against Haiti before clashes against Denmark and China.
