Women’s World Cup avoids embarrassing TV blackout as BBC, ITV and Fifa strike deal

All 64 matches from the World Cup will be broadcast on terrestrial TV in the UK, with deals also secured for other European countries

The Lionesses’ games, along with every other World Cup match, will be shown on the BBC or ITV in the UK (PA Wire)

All 64 matches in this summer’s Fifa Women’s World Cup will be broadcast live on terrestrial TV in the UK after the BBC and ITV clinched a joint rights deal.

The move, which includes live audio commentary on BBC 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra, comes after Fifa and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) agreed to extend their existing media rights partnership.

The BBC and ITV will share the matches, including England’s Group D clashes against Haiti, Denmark and China, with the exception of the final, which will be broadcast on both BBC One and ITV1.

The tournament, which is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicks off on July 20 when New Zealand face Norway in Auckland, while England’s first match is against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22.

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.”

ITV will split games between ITV1 and ITV4, with catch-up on ITVX.

ITV director of Sport Niall Sloane 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.”

The Lionesses are hoping to add World Cup glory to their Euros victory last year (PA Wire)

The new deal between Fifa and the EBU expands on a previous commitment to free-to-air broadcast across the continent, adding the five major markets of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as Ukraine.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino called the deal “a huge promotional and exposure opportunity for women’s football, which is a top priority for us in line with Fifa’s commitment to long-term development of the sport.”

“Fifa is delighted to widen the deal with the European Broadcasting Union for the transmission of the upcoming Fifa 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,” said Infantino.

“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. This will provide a huge promotional and exposure opportunity for women’s football, which is a top priority for us in line with Fifa’s commitment to the long-term development of the sport.”