FIFA, the international governing body for football, has chosen TikTok as its first "preferred platform" for video content on social media at a men's World Cup. This groundbreaking partnership will provide creators with special access to the 48-nation tournament co-hosted in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
World Cup broadcast rights holders will have the opportunity to livestream parts of the 104 games at a dedicated hub on TikTok. The popular app boasts over 170 million users in the U.S alone. This move signifies a shift towards more interactive and accessible sports broadcasting.
In addition to live streaming, FIFA announced that "a wide group of creators will receive the opportunity to use and co-create FIFA archival footage." However, details regarding what kind of live content can be streamed during this year's tournament were not specified by FIFA due to commercial partners' exclusive rights being fiercely protected.
Previous partnerships and future prospects
This is not TikTok's first venture into sports partnerships. Its collaborations with Major League Soccer (MLS) and Apple TV led to exclusive footage from cameras dedicated solely to following soccer legend Lionel Messi during his Inter Miami matches.
While financial details about this deal remain undisclosed by FIFA, it is worth noting that YouTube had previously secured a low-level sponsor deal granting access for creators at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
TikTok Global head of content, James Stafford, said:
"TikTok GamePlan turns fandom into measurable business results for our sports partners, with fans being 42% more likely to tune in to live matches after watching sports content on TikTok,"
To further enhance fan engagement during matches, TikTok's in-app World Cup hub will offer various participation incentives such as custom stickers, filters, and gamification features. Despite being the world's most downloaded phone app, TikTok has faced challenges in the United States due to national security concerns. However, ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, agreed to form a U.S. joint venture with investors Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX in December. This deal is expected to be finalized later this month.
