Kickoff The next two FIFA Womens World Cups will only air on Netflix Let's hope Netflix fixes its live buffering problems beforehand. Scharon Harding Dec 20, 2024 12:50 pm | 2 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - 2023/08/20: Salma Paralluelo of Spain (R) and Keira Walsh of England (L) seen in action during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Australia Stadium, Sydney. Credit: Getty SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - 2023/08/20: Salma Paralluelo of Spain (R) and Keira Walsh of England (L) seen in action during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Australia Stadium, Sydney. Credit: Getty Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIf you want to watch the next two FIFA Womens World Cups in the US, youll need a Netflix subscription.FIFA confirmed the news today, marking an unexpected change for the sports event, which has historically played on free-to-air broadcast channels. The shift to a streaming platform inevitably makes it more costly and hurts viewer accessibility, while likely injecting FIFA with a lot of cash.Netflix and FIFA havent said how much Netflix is paying for exclusive airing rights. But Netflix and other streaming services have been paying out hefty, sometimes record-setting sums to air live sporting events as the company seeks to earn more revenue from commercials and draw more viewers. Netflix, for example, paid $5 billion to swipe the World Wrestling Entertainments weekly RAW program from the USA cable network for 10 years, starting next month.While FIFA runs the risk of isolating some fans, it seems that its made a favorable deal with Netflix after complaining in 2022 about low bids for the 2023 Womens World Cup and resistance from broadcasters to pay what the women's game deserves, as chief business officer Romy Gai told Bloomberg in October 2022.This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Womens World Cup and the global womens game," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement today.FIFAs announcement suggested that it expects to reach a larger audience and increase US engagement by airing on Netflix. FIFA said that 1.2 billion people watched the 2019 Women's World Cup, ESPN noted. Netflix has already demonstrated the ability to lure a massive amount of viewers to exclusive sports matches. In November, Netflix claimed the most-streamed sporting event ever when it streamed a boxing event centered on a Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight and reportedly garnered 65 million live concurrent streams.Per FIFAs announcement, Netflix will stream the tournaments in English and Spanish via a dual telecast. Under the deal, Netflix will also release a documentary series about the biggest players ahead of both tournaments. Brazil will host the 2027 event, while the host country for the 2031 Women's World Cup has yet to be announced.The news comes as streaming platforms continue battling over sports. Currently, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox are in a legal battle over plans to launch a joint sports streaming app, Venu, which is being challenged by sports streamer Fubo over antitrust allegations. The case is set to go to trial in October.Meanwhile, fans are adjusting to changes in how sports events are aired, learning to bounce between channels and streaming services to find their events and dealing with buffering and other technical problems. At times, some of the biggest fans, like NFL player Tariq Woolen, have resorted to illegal pirating to avoid complications and fees, underscoring pressure for streaming services to perfect and simplify the streaming of the live events that they're eagerly snatching up.Scharon HardingSenior Product ReviewerScharon HardingSenior Product Reviewer Scharon is Ars Technicas Senior Product Reviewer writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer technology, including laptops, mechanical keyboards, and monitors. Shes based in Brooklyn. 2 Comments