The 2002 and 2006 World Cup Finals will be shown on terrestrial TV after the BBC and ITV announced that they have secured the rights to broadcast the tournaments from Kirch.
It is thought that, after lengthy negotiations, the BBC and ITV paid less than the £170 million initially demanded by the German media company. However, reports that the actual sum was £140m remain unconfirmed.
Kirch’s original asking price was over three time the price ITV and the BBC said were willing to pay, which was in turn ten times the amount the broadcasters paid for the broadcast rights to the last World Cup. ITV’s reluctance to meet the price was likely to have been exacerbated by the fact that next year’s games will occur between 6.30am and 12.30pm BST, and will therefore be unlikely to attract the level of advertising revenue gained in previous tournaments.
The television companies will show all 64 matches at the two tournaments in Korea next year and Germany in five years time. The deal includes live match coverage and highlights for both events, which will be broadcast in tandem on the BBC and ITV.
ITV’s controller of sport, Brian Barwick, said: “This has been a long and vibrant negotiation but ultimately our viewers are the winners. The opportunity to watch next year’s World Cup Finals and just as significantly, the following World Cup all on free to air television is great news.”
Kirch have reportedly sold the South American broadcast rights to the 2002 and 2006 events to companies for £594m.
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