Hong Kong Secures World Cup Broadcasting Rights at Low Price, Chinese Netizens Accuse FIFA of Discrimination Against Mainland
Negotiations between China's state broadcaster CCTV and FIFA for mainland World Cup broadcasting rights are stalled due to FIFA's high demands. In contrast, Hong Kong's PCCW reportedly secured exclusive rights for a fraction of the price, sparking outrage among Chinese netizens who accuse FIFA of discrimination and call for CCTV to reject the deal.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 17:42
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 18:02 (19 min after Published)
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Central News Agency (CNA) News
(Taipei, May 8th, CNA) Negotiations between China's state media CCTV and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) over broadcasting rights for the World Cup in mainland China have so far reached an impasse. Reportedly, FIFA demanded an exorbitant price of 250 to 300 million US dollars, while PCCW (PCCW Limited) in Hong Kong is said to have secured exclusive broadcasting rights for only 25 million US dollars. This has led to an overwhelming outcry from Chinese netizens today, who accuse FIFA of discriminating against the mainland and call on CCTV to firmly refuse to purchase the rights.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to open on June 11th. The stalled negotiations between CCTV and FIFA over broadcasting rights have become a hot topic in mainland Chinese social media recently, triggering another wave of nationalistic sentiment.
Beijing Daily, a Chinese state media outlet, disclosed on May 6th that FIFA's initial asking price for CCTV was 250 to 300 million US dollars, while CCTV's budget was estimated to be only around 60 to 80 million US dollars. Even after FIFA later lowered its offer to approximately 120 to 150 million US dollars, a significant gap in expectations between the two parties remains. Under these circumstances, no agreement on television broadcasting rights has been reached to date.
Mainland Chinese media outlets, including Jiemian News, reported today that FIFA's official website shows that PCCW's Now TV and free-to-air broadcaster Viu TV in Hong Kong have obtained exclusive broadcasting rights for the World Cup in the Hong Kong region. It is understood that PCCW spent approximately 25 million US dollars (about 785 million New Taiwan dollars).
As soon as the news broke, it immediately topped the trending searches on mainland Chinese social media. Netizens overwhelmingly condemned FIFA for allowing Hong Kong to acquire broadcasting rights at a low price, clearly discriminating against the mainland, and called on CCTV to resolutely refuse to buy the rights. Many also hinted that they would simply "climb over the Great Firewall" to watch pirated broadcasts for free, saying, "CCTV absolutely must not buy it; then we'll have pirated streams everywhere."
The report mentioned that over the past 20 years, World Cup broadcasting fees in mainland China have continuously soared from 12 million US dollars. In comparison to previous editions, the two tournaments in 2010 and 2014 were bundled for only 115 million US dollars; the two tournaments in 2018 and 2022 were bundled for approximately 300 million US dollars.
The report claimed that, in addition to inflating prices, FIFA has always "tailored its dishes to suit the customer" regarding broadcasting rights. The report further stated that no matter how good the match, broadcasting rights should return to a rational price. This time, CCTV's "table-flipping" against FIFA has also received overwhelming support from online public opinion, and FIFA's plan to raise prices might truly have picked the wrong timing.
Amidst the deadlock in negotiations, according to Shanghai Radio and Television Station's Wuxing Sports, a "Secretary-General level executive" from FIFA plans to visit China soon, suggesting a potential turning point in the World Cup broadcasting rights talks.
The report pointed out that World Cup broadcasting in mainland China has always followed a model of "CCTV exclusive procurement + domestic platform distribution." For such major international events, the main broadcasting rights in mainland China can only be negotiated and signed directly with FIFA by CCTV as the sole legal entity.
The report said that the negotiation outcome will also directly affect the core interests of Chinese sponsors. This World Cup's Chinese sponsors include Wanda, Lenovo, Hisense, and Mengniu, with a cumulative investment exceeding 500 million US dollars. If there is no broadcast in mainland China, on-field advertisements, brand exposure, and marketing activities will lose their core audience, creating an awkward situation of "heavy sponsorship, silent at home."
FIFA stated on Tuesday that World Cup broadcasting rights in key football markets such as mainland China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand are still open for bidding; negotiations for broadcasting rights are ongoing with China and India, with details remaining confidential for now. (Editors: Yang Shen-ju / Chu Chien-ling) 1150508
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(Taipei, May 8th, CNA) Negotiations between China's state media CCTV and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) over broadcasting rights for the World Cup in mainland China have so far reached an impasse. Reportedly, FIFA demanded an exorbitant price of 250 to 300 million US dollars, while PCCW (PCCW Limited) in Hong Kong is said to have secured exclusive broadcasting rights for only 25 million US dollars. This has led to an overwhelming outcry from Chinese netizens today, who accuse FIFA of discriminating against the mainland and call on CCTV to firmly refuse to purchase the rights.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to open on June 11th. The stalled negotiations between CCTV and FIFA over broadcasting rights have become a hot topic in mainland Chinese social media recently, triggering another wave of nationalistic sentiment.
Beijing Daily, a Chinese state media outlet, disclosed on May 6th that FIFA's initial asking price for CCTV was 250 to 300 million US dollars, while CCTV's budget was estimated to be only around 60 to 80 million US dollars. Even after FIFA later lowered its offer to approximately 120 to 150 million US dollars, a significant gap in expectations between the two parties remains. Under these circumstances, no agreement on television broadcasting rights has been reached to date.
Mainland Chinese media outlets, including Jiemian News, reported today that FIFA's official website shows that PCCW's Now TV and free-to-air broadcaster Viu TV in Hong Kong have obtained exclusive broadcasting rights for the World Cup in the Hong Kong region. It is understood that PCCW spent approximately 25 million US dollars (about 785 million New Taiwan dollars).
As soon as the news broke, it immediately topped the trending searches on mainland Chinese social media. Netizens overwhelmingly condemned FIFA for allowing Hong Kong to acquire broadcasting rights at a low price, clearly discriminating against the mainland, and called on CCTV to resolutely refuse to buy the rights. Many also hinted that they would simply "climb over the Great Firewall" to watch pirated broadcasts for free, saying, "CCTV absolutely must not buy it; then we'll have pirated streams everywhere."
The report mentioned that over the past 20 years, World Cup broadcasting fees in mainland China have continuously soared from 12 million US dollars. In comparison to previous editions, the two tournaments in 2010 and 2014 were bundled for only 115 million US dollars; the two tournaments in 2018 and 2022 were bundled for approximately 300 million US dollars.
The report claimed that, in addition to inflating prices, FIFA has always "tailored its dishes to suit the customer" regarding broadcasting rights. The report further stated that no matter how good the match, broadcasting rights should return to a rational price. This time, CCTV's "table-flipping" against FIFA has also received overwhelming support from online public opinion, and FIFA's plan to raise prices might truly have picked the wrong timing.
Amidst the deadlock in negotiations, according to Shanghai Radio and Television Station's Wuxing Sports, a "Secretary-General level executive" from FIFA plans to visit China soon, suggesting a potential turning point in the World Cup broadcasting rights talks.
The report pointed out that World Cup broadcasting in mainland China has always followed a model of "CCTV exclusive procurement + domestic platform distribution." For such major international events, the main broadcasting rights in mainland China can only be negotiated and signed directly with FIFA by CCTV as the sole legal entity.
The report said that the negotiation outcome will also directly affect the core interests of Chinese sponsors. This World Cup's Chinese sponsors include Wanda, Lenovo, Hisense, and Mengniu, with a cumulative investment exceeding 500 million US dollars. If there is no broadcast in mainland China, on-field advertisements, brand exposure, and marketing activities will lose their core audience, creating an awkward situation of "heavy sponsorship, silent at home."
FIFA stated on Tuesday that World Cup broadcasting rights in key football markets such as mainland China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand are still open for bidding; negotiations for broadcasting rights are ongoing with China and India, with details remaining confidential for now. (Editors: Yang Shen-ju / Chu Chien-ling) 1150508
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The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.