The price is exorbitant! The 2026 World Cup broadcast rights were rejected by a number of countries, TVRI even paid Rp1.3 trillion

Kai Havertz, scoring for Germany (photo: dok.fifa)

JAKARTA - The government's decision through TVRI to buy the 2026 World Cup broadcast rights with a value of around IDR 1.3 trillion has again raised questions among the public. With a value that is much greater than most national television broadcast programs, how do the rights holders actually get a profit from the investment?

The 2026 World Cup is the largest tournament in FIFA history. For the first time, the competition is followed by 48 countries and presents 104 matches taking place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

FIFA itself revealed that the 2026 World Cup broadcast rights had been sold in more than 220 regions around the world and generated the highest media rights revenue in the history of the tournament. FIFA said the combination of traditional broadcasters, digital platforms, and new partners had created the largest global reach ever for the World Cup.

In Indonesia, TVRI officially became the broadcast rights holder for all 2026 World Cup matches. This red plate television station said all 104 matches would be broadcast for free through a free-to-air platform so that the public could access it using a regular television antenna.

According to a number of media industry reports, the value of the license paid to obtain the broadcasting rights reached around IDR 1.3 trillion.

Different Prices in Each Country

Unlike the assumption of some people, FIFA does not sell broadcasting rights at the same price to all countries.

The value of the contract is determined based on market size, potential audience, economic strength, television advertising value, popularity of football, to the broadcast time of the match in each country.

The case of India is an interesting example. A number of international media reported that FIFA even had to cut the broadcast rights price because of the lack of broadcaster interest due to many matches taking place at hours that are less favorable for the local market.

On the contrary, Indonesia is seen as one of the largest football markets in Southeast Asia with a very large fan base. This factor makes the commercial value of the World Cup in Indonesia remain high even though the matches are played in North America.

Meanwhile, most countries do not announce the official value of the broadcast rights contract because it is protected by confidentiality clauses between FIFA and broadcasters. However, a number of international media, industry reports, Reuters, and regional business media have revealed the range of values that are being negotiated or agreed upon.

Broadcasting Rights Holder Reported Value Indonesia TVRI around IDR 1.3 trillion (US$ 80 million) China CCTV / China Media Group around US$ 60 million Thailand JAS-Monomax FIFA package until 2030 worth US$ 70 million, while the 2026 World Cup rights were negotiated in the range of US$ 15-40 million Vietnam Not officially announced, reported around US$ 15 million Malaysia FIFA had asked for US$ 35-50 million Japan Dentsu Not announced South Korea JTBC Not officially announced Hong Kong PCCW Not announced Singapore Mediacorp Not announced

Reuters reported that FIFA finally agreed on a price of around 60 million US dollars (Rp1.06 trillion) with China Media Group (CMG) after a long negotiation. The value is much lower than FIFA's initial target which was said to reach 300 million US dollars. One of the factors that put pressure on the price was the time zone difference between North America as the host and the Asian market.

The case of Thailand is an interesting example. According to The Nation Thailand, FIFA initially asked for more than 1.3 billion baht or about 40 million US dollars (Rp711 billion) just for the 2026 World Cup broadcast rights. However, Jasmine International (JAS) refused and asked FIFA to adjust the price with Vietnam which was said to only pay around 15 million US dollars (Rp266 billion). After long negotiations, JAS finally obtained the broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup, the 2030 World Cup, as well as several other FIFA tournaments in a package worth 70 million US dollars.

For Malaysia, a number of reports said FIFA had set a price of around 50 million US dollars before information emerged that the value could drop to around 35 million US dollars (Rp622.4 billion). The high price is one of the reasons for the slow sale of broadcasting rights in the country.

Meanwhile, FIFA confirmed that it had completed the sale of broadcasting rights in a number of major Asian markets, including Japan through Dentsu, South Korea through JTBC, Hong Kong through PCCW, Singapore through Mediacorp, and Indonesia through TVRI. However, the value of the contract was never announced to the public.

In comparison, the figure of around IDR 1.3 trillion paid by Indonesia places Indonesia in the largest media market group in Asia for the 2026 World Cup. Even the value is higher than the reported cost for China and far above Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. However, it should be noted that comparisons are not always equal because some contracts include FIFA tournament packages until 2030, not just the 2026 World Cup.

An interesting analysis for readers is that FIFA seems to be implementing a very different pricing strategy in Asia. China, which has about 200 million football fans, actually gets a price of around 60 million US dollars after hard negotiations, while Indonesia is said to pay around 80 million US dollars.

This shows that the value of broadcasting rights is not only determined by the number of residents or football fans, but also the competition of local broadcasters, potential advertising revenue, television and streaming distribution models, as well as the bargaining position of each country when negotiating with FIFA.

What Do Rights Holders Buy?

Buying broadcasting rights is not just buying a license to broadcast matches. License holders obtain the right to broadcast matches live, rebroadcast matches, show goal and highlight clips, create match review programs, and distribute content through various platforms permitted in the contract.

In contrast, FIFA also stipulates various obligations. Broadcast rights holders must maintain broadcast quality, protect content from piracy, comply with FIFA production standards, and respect all rules related to official sponsors of the tournament.

In practice, FIFA retains commercial rights over global sponsors that appear on stadiums, pitch billboards, interview backdrops, and official match graphics.

Where is the advantage?

The main source of profit for the broadcasting rights holder comes from advertising. During the match, the broadcaster can sell advertising slots to local companies at a much higher rate than regular programs.

The World Cup final is traditionally one of the world's highest-rated television programmes because it can attract hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.

In addition to television advertisements, the rights holder can also obtain income from program sponsorships, branding cooperation, digital platforms, streaming, and distribution licenses to third parties.

This business model is the reason why media companies in various countries dare to spend hundreds of millions of US dollars to obtain World Cup broadcasting rights. However, profits are not always guaranteed.

A number of international media observers have warned that the increasingly expensive broadcasting rights cost broadcasters a new challenge in the form of digital piracy, audience fragmentation, and advertising market uncertainty. Even in some countries, there is doubt as to whether these large investments can generate a commensurate return.

Momentum for TVRI

For Indonesia, the 2026 World Cup is a special moment because all matches can be watched for free through TVRI.

In addition to television broadcasts, the government also plans to encourage the holding of watching together in various regions to expand public access while also mobilizing the local economy.

With 104 matches, a new 48-team format, and the potential for millions of spectators across Indonesia, the 2026 World Cup is not only the world's largest football party, but also one of the most expensive media projects ever run in Indonesia.