Estelle Gonzalez of Spain kisses the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy after her team’s victory in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand final against Spain vs. England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023. .
Alex Pantling – FIFA | FIFA | Getty Images
Netflix announced Friday that it has secured exclusive rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cups in the United States.
The announcement comes just days before Netflix will stream the first-ever National Football League Christmas Day game. The addition of the Women’s World Cup to its portfolio shows the streaming giant continues to expand its sports rights portfolio. The rise in popularity of women’s sports over the past year also plays a role.
“We’ve seen the FIFA Women’s World Cup fan base grow significantly from the enthusiastic atmosphere in France in 2019 and more recently from the incredible energy across Australia and New Zealand in 2023,” Netflix said. said Bela Bajaria, chief content officer. press release. “Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix is ​​more than just streaming the matches; it’s celebrating the players, culture and passion that drive the rise of women’s sport globally.”
The 2027 tournament will be held in 12 cities across Brazil. The host country for the 2031 Games has not yet been announced.
According to Netflix, coverage of the Women’s World Cup will include studio programming, commentary and entertainment from top talent, as well as Netflix original documentaries about key players and the sport’s rapidly growing fan base in the lead-up to the tournament. It is said that there are plans to do so.
The Women’s World Cup continues to grow in popularity, with more people watching the 2019 Women’s Final in the United States than the 2018 Men’s Final. However, U.S. viewership dropped significantly in 2023 after the two previous winners were eliminated. in the round of 16.
The WNBA and women’s national soccer team have seen significant audience growth in the United States, and soccer remains one of the most popular sports in the world.
Netflix has 282.7 million members worldwide, and the streamer has driven international growth through cheaper ad-supported tiers.
With live sports drawing the biggest audience, sports media rights are also exploding in terms of valuations for media companies.
Netflix continues to grow into sports, with 108 million people watching last month’s stream of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, making it the most-streamed sporting event in history, according to Netflix. That’s what it means.
On Christmas Day, the streamer will cover an NFL doubleheader featuring the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans.
