The BBC is “absolutely committed” to securing a deal with Fifa to broadcast the Women’s World Cup, its chief content officer Charlotte Moore has said. With 37 days until the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, there is still no agreement between football’s governing body and any UK broadcaster, meaning games involving England may not be available to domestic viewers. Last month, Fifa president Gianni Infantino had threatened a European TV blackout if rights offers were not improved, saying European broadcasters had offered world football’s governing body $1m-$10m (£800,000-£8m) for the rights, compared with $100m-$200m for the men’s World Cup. In response, the sports ministers of those five European countries urged broadcasters and Fifa to “quickly reach an agreement”. Last year the Women’s World Cup and European Championship were added to the ‘crown jewels’ of British sporting events, which require free-to-air coverage.
Speaking to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday, Moore said the BBC would not be pressured by Fifa into overpaying. She added that the corporation was doing everything it could to make sure it obtained the rights for as much of women’s sport as possible within its budget. It has widely been reported that the BBC and ITV will share broadcasting rights for this summer’s tournament, although no announcement has been made. The latest joint bid by the broadcasters was reportedly near to £8m. According to Fifa’s data, 1.12 billion people watched the 2019 World Cup in France, a record for a women’s tournament. Kick-off times for the 2023 World Cup are less favourable, ranging from 01:00 to 12:00 BST, although England’s three group games start between 09:30 and 12:00 and the final is scheduled to kick off at 11:00. Moore said that the BBC takes a huge amount of care and detail about how it makes sure it doesn’t over-inflate the market but helps it grow. The 2023 World Cup starts on 20 July, with European champions England beginning their campaign against tournament debutants Haiti in Brisbane on 22 July.