Tense TV negotiations give way to record viewership for World Cup

NEW YORK: Negotiations over television broadcast rights for the Women's World Cup that nearly led to the tournament being blacked out in key countries, gave way to record viewership in the end, as soccer powerhouses Spain and England clashed in a finale that capped a tournament of thrills.

The final between England and Spain attracted a peak audience of 12 million viewers on BBC One, beating the men's Wimbledon final in July that peaked at 11.3 million.

In Spain, 8.8 million people tuned in to watch at least some of the match on TV, according to audience measurement firm Barlovento, as their team beat England's Lionesses 1-0 in Australia on Sunday.

Had tense pre-tournament negotiations between the sport's global governing body, FIFA, and broadcasters failed to come to fruition, the two countries that reached the final could have been among those blacked out during the biggest edition of the tournament.

The broadcast rights for the tournament were sold separately from the men's edition for the first time this year, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino had threatened a blackout of Europe's 'Big 5' nations - Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France - unless initial "unacceptable" bids were improved.

In June, FIFA extended its agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), ending the threat.

"I think we had to arm-wrestle some people to take the TV deals. Well, I hope they're saying 'Thank you!'" said Jill Ellis, the coach behind the United States' 2015 and 2019 Cup winning campaigns.

Japan also narrowly avoided a blackout after initially failing to strike a deal with FIFA.

Thomas Heenan, a lecturer for sports and Australian studies in the Monash Intercultural Lab, said the "unbundling" strategy was sound, but perhaps came at