Women's World Cup: Fifa's threat to ban European broadcasters is not a skilful move

• Less encouraging is Fifa’s suggestion that this summer’s women’s football World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, may not be available to TV viewers across Europe.
• Apparently the amount broadcasters are willing to pay to show it in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France is too low.
• And European financial regulations exempt spending on women’s football from their rules concerning club losses to encourage this form of spending.

Foul play?

• Some of those broadcasters will respond that as businesses, they need to make a profit.
• Those offers also depend on how much competitors are willing to spend as multiple bidders create an environment that pushes up prices.
• There is evidence that the impact of scheduling (for example, evenings and weekends) on TV audiences is crucial.
• And the negotiating tactic by Fifa to try increase bids is not a very strong one.

Failing the women’s game?

• This mainly relates to the men’s World Cup, but it does tell us how dependent Fifa is on European broadcasters.
• Well, viewers will still be able to watch coverage of the World Cup on Fifa’s own streaming channel.
• Meanwhile, Fifa will risk accusations of failing the women’s game rather than supporting it.