FIFA has today announced that it has awarded the exclusive rights in New Zealand for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to Sky Network Television Ltd (Sky).

As part of the agreement, Sky will show all 64 matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the biggest event in the international women’s game, on its Sky platforms in New Zealand. One match per day, including the key matches in the tournament and all games involving the New Zealand team (commonly known as the Football Ferns), will be made available nationwide on a free-to-air basis to encourage even more viewers to experience and enjoy women’s football.

The Sky coverage of the tournament will reach fans across all platforms with highlights, support programming and other digital content.

Sky was a Media Rights Licensee in New Zealand for the 2019 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and will extend its coverage for the 2023 tournament. Sky has committed to supporting the growth and development of the women’s game and bringing women’s football to the widest possible audience in New Zealand. With a reach of over three million households, Sky is the leading pay TV operator in New Zealand, which will provide a unique opportunity to engage with fans across the country and promote the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said they are excited to welcome Sky as the official broadcaster of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 for New Zealand.

“Sky has shown a strong track record of broadcasting women’s football in New Zealand and this deal will provide unprecedented coverage of the tournament, as well as bringing women’s football to more fans and new audiences,” she said.

“We look forward to working with Sky to promote the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to accelerate the growth and visibility of the women’s game in New Zealand in the lead-up to 2023.”

Sky CEO Sophie Moloney said they are honoured to have been chosen to deliver the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Thank you FIFA for the confidence they have placed in us,” she said.

“We are committed to supporting the growth and development of the women’s game alongside our support for women in sport across dozens of other codes, athletes, teams and communities throughout Aotearoa.”

The deal with Sky concludes the sale of media rights in the two host markets, following FIFA’s announcement of the award of the exclusive media rights in Australia to Optus Sport on June 4.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will take place from July 20 to August 20, 2023. Earlier this year, FIFA announced the nine Host Cities and ten stadiums in Australia and New Zealand where matches will be played during the tournament. Eden Park in Auckland will host the opening match, with Stadium Australia in Sydney selected to stage the final.

Since its inception in 1991, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has grown exponentially to claim the crown of the most-watched single-sport event for women globally, with the most recent edition attracting a record audience of over 1.1 billion viewers and smashing domestic viewing figures in many territories.

On the back of the amazing success of the 2019 event, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will also be the first edition of the tournament to feature 32 teams (previously 24) following the decision by FIFA to expand the tournament to accelerate the growth of the women’s game.

Through the sale of media rights for its football tournaments, FIFA generates income that is essential to support and develop football around the world, for instance through the FIFA Forward football development programme.

For more information on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and women’s football, visit FIFA.com or use the hashtag #FIFAWWC.

Courtesy of FIFA 

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