CCTV Fails to Agree on Broadcast Rights Price, China Mainland May Not See World Cup
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, China's state broadcaster CCTV and FIFA have reportedly reached an unprecedented stalemate over broadcasting rights fees, raising concerns that mainland China may not be able to watch live World Cup matches.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 18:51
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Taipei, May 2 (CNA) — With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to kick off on June 11, rumors are rife in China's sports circles that state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) have yet to agree on broadcasting rights fees, plunging into an unprecedented stalemate, and raising fears that mainland China may not be able to watch live World Cup matches.
China's official regulations stipulate that CCTV has the exclusive right to negotiate and purchase broadcasting rights for major international sports events within China, and then sub-license them to other platforms. Last year, CCTV refused to broadcast many matches of the Chinese men's national football team in the World Cup Asian qualifiers due to high prices, drawing dissatisfaction from fans.
With only 40 days left until the World Cup opens, the broadcasting rights for the event in mainland China have fallen into an unprecedented stalemate due to FIFA's 'exorbitant asking price' and CCTV's 'unyielding stance,' becoming a hot topic of discussion on social media today.
According to a report by the platform 'Live Bar,' Wang Tao, a Chinese football commentator who worked at CCTV Sports for 11 years, pointed out that in the past, World Cup broadcasting rights were usually settled half a year in advance, and this is the first time it has not been finalized more than a month before the opening.
Wang Tao said that CCTV believes FIFA's asking price this year is outrageous, as the broadcasting rights price is reportedly raised to nearly 300 million US dollars, equivalent to more than 2 billion Chinese yuan; if CCTV mishandles it, it is very likely to lose money.
Rumors in China's sports circles recently suggest that FIFA's asking price for mainland China broadcasting rights is 250 to 300 million US dollars, double that of the previous Qatar World Cup. However, CCTV is only willing to offer 60 to 80 million US dollars, citing limited viewership and commercial value.
Several sports figures pointed out that China has missed the World Cup for six consecutive times, leading to a decline in fan enthusiasm and advertisers' willingness to invest. Furthermore, with the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup, 70% of the matches will be concentrated during Beijing time's early morning to dawn hours, making viewership even less optimistic, and advertising revenue difficult to balance against the exorbitant licensing fees.
Wang Tao said that with only a little over a month left to settle the broadcasting rights, the time for attracting advertisers is also only about a month. Therefore, major brands need to accelerate negotiations with CCTV, and at the same time, major secondary rights platforms should put forward their prices in advance, so that CCTV can then negotiate a better price with FIFA.
If CCTV does not buy the broadcasting rights, other platforms are not authorized to purchase them directly, and mainland China will have no legal and free channels to broadcast the World Cup live.
As of now, Now TV has acquired the broadcasting rights for the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup in Hong Kong, and the broadcasting rights for Macau have not yet been finalized. (Edited by Yang Sheng-ru / Tang Pei-chun) 1150502
China's official regulations stipulate that CCTV has the exclusive right to negotiate and purchase broadcasting rights for major international sports events within China, and then sub-license them to other platforms. Last year, CCTV refused to broadcast many matches of the Chinese men's national football team in the World Cup Asian qualifiers due to high prices, drawing dissatisfaction from fans.
With only 40 days left until the World Cup opens, the broadcasting rights for the event in mainland China have fallen into an unprecedented stalemate due to FIFA's 'exorbitant asking price' and CCTV's 'unyielding stance,' becoming a hot topic of discussion on social media today.
According to a report by the platform 'Live Bar,' Wang Tao, a Chinese football commentator who worked at CCTV Sports for 11 years, pointed out that in the past, World Cup broadcasting rights were usually settled half a year in advance, and this is the first time it has not been finalized more than a month before the opening.
Wang Tao said that CCTV believes FIFA's asking price this year is outrageous, as the broadcasting rights price is reportedly raised to nearly 300 million US dollars, equivalent to more than 2 billion Chinese yuan; if CCTV mishandles it, it is very likely to lose money.
Rumors in China's sports circles recently suggest that FIFA's asking price for mainland China broadcasting rights is 250 to 300 million US dollars, double that of the previous Qatar World Cup. However, CCTV is only willing to offer 60 to 80 million US dollars, citing limited viewership and commercial value.
Several sports figures pointed out that China has missed the World Cup for six consecutive times, leading to a decline in fan enthusiasm and advertisers' willingness to invest. Furthermore, with the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup, 70% of the matches will be concentrated during Beijing time's early morning to dawn hours, making viewership even less optimistic, and advertising revenue difficult to balance against the exorbitant licensing fees.
Wang Tao said that with only a little over a month left to settle the broadcasting rights, the time for attracting advertisers is also only about a month. Therefore, major brands need to accelerate negotiations with CCTV, and at the same time, major secondary rights platforms should put forward their prices in advance, so that CCTV can then negotiate a better price with FIFA.
If CCTV does not buy the broadcasting rights, other platforms are not authorized to purchase them directly, and mainland China will have no legal and free channels to broadcast the World Cup live.
As of now, Now TV has acquired the broadcasting rights for the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup in Hong Kong, and the broadcasting rights for Macau have not yet been finalized. (Edited by Yang Sheng-ru / Tang Pei-chun) 1150502