After the final whistle: media groups battle for World Cup attention

{"text":[[{"start":7.5,"text":"It is the moment football media companies have been waiting for: the World Cup is back in North America. Beyond the live match broadcasts, the race is on to capture audiences with World Cup-related content on YouTube, podcasts, social platforms and at live events."}],[{"start":25.6,"text":"As the tournament expands to 48 teams and 104 matches, football-focused media groups including Footballco, Men in Blazers and Goalhanger are betting that demand for World Cup content will stretch far beyond live games, creating new opportunities for sponsors, video platforms and fan experiences."}],[{"start":44.900000000000006,"text":"Fifa expects the 2026 World Cup to generate $3.9bn in broadcast and television rights revenue this year. The governing body and tournament organiser is relying on live broadcast to drive 44 per cent of its total $8.9bn revenue target."}],[{"start":62.2,"text":"Fox Sports is the English language broadcaster in the US, while NBC Universal’s Telemundo Media will screen the matches with Spanish commentary. The BBC, ITV and STV are Fifa’s broadcasters in the UK. In the Middle East and north Africa, beIN Sports holds the rights. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":81.1,"text":"Increasingly, however, football-focused digital media companies see the World Cup as their chance to reach fans outside the 90 minutes of live matches. In the words of Bank of America (BofA), this is “a tournament built for the digital age”."}],[{"start":95.8,"text":"Footballco, the owner of Goal.com and other websites about the game, has made a push into video, particularly on YouTube. Content featuring top players is particularly popular."}],[{"start":107.64999999999999,"text":"“People are curious about players,” says Footballco chief executive Juan Delgado. “They want to know what they eat, how they sleep, where they go out, what music they listen to and what they wear.”"}],[{"start":120.1,"text":"There is a big opportunity to build sponsorship revenues by growing audiences through content “not necessarily in the 90 minutes, but around the 90 minutes”, he adds."}],[{"start":130.2,"text":"Footballco is targeting about $100mn of revenue this year, up from $75mn in 2025. Delgado expects video content to generate about $60mn of revenues, with the remaining $40mn to come from web ads and affiliate links."}],[{"start":148.04999999999998,"text":"According to Fifa, there are 5bn football fans around the world, and it is increasingly common to use a smartphone while watching live matches on television. Analysts expect the expanded tournament to drive even greater online engagement, particularly around short-form video, social platforms and second-screen viewing."}],[{"start":167.85,"text":"The World Cup final “could consume up to 7 per cent of global internet traffic, as viewing shifts decisively from linear TV to streaming, mobile and social platforms”, according to BofA."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":180.15,"text":"Men in Blazers has become a media network in its own right since being founded as a podcast in 2010. Roger Bennett, founder and chief executive, says YouTube has replaced television. Fans have content on tap."}],[{"start":195.05,"text":"“The culture of the World Cup has almost become as important as the games,” he says. “The noise around the game is now 24/7 and the coverage has to match that appetite.”"}],[{"start":205.20000000000002,"text":"The company plans to tour several host cities in a brightly coloured bus with its own studio, featuring the logos of Men in Blazers and sponsor Home Depot."}],[{"start":213.8,"text":"Bennett, a Liverpudlian who moved to the US and built his own football media company, says Men in Blazers has been built from “World Cup to World Cup”. He says brands that work with Men in Blazers get “guaranteed coverage from the opening ceremony to the trophy lift” and “organic storytelling content that people really, really watch” instead of conventional advertising that audiences are “conditioned to glaze out”."}],[{"start":237.60000000000002,"text":"“If you sponsor a league, you’re in business whenever that league is playing or you are dark,” Bennett says. “We allow partners, brand partners, to engage wherever a ball is being kicked.”"}],[{"start":248.35000000000002,"text":"Investors have bought into the vision. In January 2025, Avenue Sports Fund, which is led by billionaire Marc Lasry, led a $15mn funding round in Men in Blazers. The deal was also backed by investors including David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, and The Chernin Group."}],[{"start":269.40000000000003,"text":"The Chernin Group is also a minority shareholder in Goalhanger, the media and production company co-founded by Gary Lineker, the former England striker turned broadcaster. It is the company behind a family of podcasts covering history, politics, science and entertainment. Shows that were once audio-only podcasts have embraced video. The Rest Is Football, hosted by Lineker and fellow former England internationals Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will be screened on Netflix during the World Cup."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":299.3,"text":"Footballco is backed by Integrated Media Company, a vehicle owned by private capital group TPG. Media group DAZN remains a shareholder. "}],[{"start":307.75,"text":"Websites such as Goal.com can no longer rely on search traffic from stories such as “Ronaldo’s most expensive car”, now that AI can answer such queries instantly. That makes access to players and original video more valuable, though Delgado says Footballco’s growth plans extend beyond social platforms."}],[{"start":326.35,"text":"Delgado says live experiences and merchandise are key to Footballco’s ambitions."}],[{"start":332.8,"text":"During the World Cup, the company intends to host House of Goal, a football culture festival in Brooklyn. Matches will be screened live on big screens, alongside food, art, music, film and gaming, as well as the opportunity to play football. Sponsors include beer brand Cerveza Modelo, prediction market Kalshi and Electronic Arts’ FC26 football video game."}],[{"start":357.85,"text":"For EA, the festival is a way to connect with fans across gaming, social media and live experiences, rather than only through the match broadcast. “Football fandom today lives far beyond the match itself,” says David Tinson, the company’s chief experiences officer."}],[{"start":381.2,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1781161980_6334.mp3"}