Netflix steals major sporting event broadcast rights from TSN
Netflix is throwing its hat into the ring for more consistent live sports broadcasting in Canada.
On Friday, FIFA and Netflix announced that the streaming service would be the sole broadcaster for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, following suit with a similar deal in the United States.
“Following the landmark agreement between FIFA and Netflix in the United States, we are pleased to extend the footprint of our partnership to Canada — a nation with a rich FIFA Women’s World Cup history,” said FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai in a release.
Netflix made its foray into live sports last year with the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul celebrity boxing match, co-headlined by Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. It’s also the primary broadcaster for the WWE in Canada, and appear set to continue adding more sports properties in the future.
The 2023 edition of the tournament had previously been broadcast on TSN and CTV. Canada’s most-viewed match of that tournament came against Nigeria in their opening group stage game, where they had 1.5 million average viewers, per Canadian Soccer Daily.
“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously — from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019, and most recently, the incredible energy across Australia and New Zealand in 2023. Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix is not just about streaming matches — it’s about celebrating the players, the culture, and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sports,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria.
Many Canadian soccer fans are likely used to streaming the women’s team matches, with the majority of their games carried on the streaming service OneSoccer.
OneSoccer is in an ongoing battle to be approved as a linear television channel, but has so far only been carried by Telus in Western Canada.
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil across eight host cities, with the games set to begin in June 2024.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which includes games in Toronto and Vancouver, will be broadcast in Canada on TSN and CTV.
- You might also like:
- Ex-Toronto Raptors star Siakam surprises whole restaurant with free food