The BBC and ITV have turned down the chance to show the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, meaning no UK broadcaster has snapped up the rights.
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Club World Cup still without UK broadcasterBBC and ITV decline chanceDAZN hold global rightsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Streaming service DAZN hold the global rights to the tournament but had aimed to sublicense the tournament to the biggest broadcasters in key regions in order to get as many eyeballs on the football as possible, reports . However, the rebuttal from two major channels suggests a specific UK broadcaster may not materialise.
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DAZN paid a whopping £787 billion for the rights to the tournament, which will take place in the United States across June and July. All 63 matches will be available free-to-air via their app but its typical audience in the UK is in the low thousands, according to the report.
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The rights have been sublicensed across other regions, with Warner Bros picking them up for the US market. The BBC are understood to have turned down the opportunity as they would have needed to promote a commercial channel on its public service, while ITV did attempt to buy the rights for themselves before DAZN struck the global deal and do not want to sublicense.
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DAZN are said to be hopeful of striking a deal with Channel 4 or Channel 5 in the UK before the tournament kicks off on June 14.