Introduction
Thesis statement
This research aims at expounding on the broadcasting rights of FIFA World Cup and how sports organizations, especially FIFA, benefit from selling the television and radio broadcasting rights of World Cup to media companies.
The Purpose of the Research
The goal of this research is to demystify the FIFA world Cup television rights. It also aims at studying how both the sports organization and the media company benefit from these television rights. The research will also touch on some of the effects of these large sums of money earned from selling broadcasting rights influence the football players and the outcomes.
Introduction
The process of media sports production involves organizations of sports such as FIFA, the world football governing body, collaborating with the media companies to earn profits. Sports organizations can do this through promotional and intermediary agencies representing them or directly. To cover its world championship, a sports sell television, and radio broadcasting rights, and it depends on the bids submitted by media companies. The bidding and the process of making a decision are very sensitive and complicated when FIFA is selling the World Cup rights to the media companies.
Background Information
Contest for broadcasting rights and the sport’s prominence in media timetables have caused striking effects of inflation on the funds allocated to some sports. For instance, the Tokyo games of 1964 cost the leading broadcaster £1m. Reports show that more recently, NBC has paid $3.5bn to IOC for the rights to broadcast the Summer Olympics of 2004 and 2008 and the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. The amount of airtime such events can take up balances out these large sums of money. Sports events attract many viewers and listeners, and that contributes to the all-important audience ratings.
The Role of Media
The increased engagement in, and partial control over sports and organizations of sports by the media has seen it assume a mighty position to prescribe the features of events and even to alter some important aspects of sports; for instance, its rules. In fact, the media nowadays plays an influential role in the making and destruction of sporting practices and structures. The old forms of sports have been marginalized while new ones have emerged. The playing conditions have been reviewed, and rules have been altered so as to increase media coverage. The players’ kits have their names on the kits and the names of the sponsors also for the sake of the viewers. There has been an increasing use of marketing companies and agents by sports organizations to sell their products to the media market.
The Future of Sports
The relative status of certain games, as well as relationships within sports, has been significantly affected by the more incursion of media into the world of sports. Sports such as football, which is more attractive to the press, has achieved a far more economic wealth, exposure and greater status as compared to others. Clubs that are more glamorous in the English Premier League have gained massive wealth from selling their broadcasting rights to ITV and other media companies, which has made them stand tall among the rest of the clubs. The political and economic distance between leagues, clubs and sports have continued widening.
Conclusion
In conclusion, media coverage has had a great impact on sports and sports organizations. The sports organizations, such as FIFA, have also made significant fortunes from selling their World Cup broadcasting rights. Companies that produce and print sports kits have also had significant impacts on sports as some of them such as Adidas and Nike act as sponsors of various clubs and national teams.
