One wrong move might block billions from watching soccer's biggest event. Still no deals signed in Beijing or New Delhi, just days ticking toward June 11. Fans wait, hoping signals come through loud and clear. Silence lingers where contracts should be. A gap grows between promise and reality. Broadcasters hesitate while time slips past quietly.

A surprise bid of $20 million came from a partnership of Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Company in India, now said to fall way short of what FIFA hoped for. While that was unfolding, Sony Group Corporation walked back its interest, having weighed the numbers and found the cost too steep.

Time running out as FIFA holds firm on valuation

It feels odd that no broadcasting agreement has been confirmed yet. Back in 2018 and again in 2022, China Central Television locked in coverage long before the games started, pushing promotion early.

Across India and China, more than one in five online streamers tuned in during 2022. This round, talks hit pause, price tags too high, demands out of sync.

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FIFA initially wanted close to a hundred million dollars for the 2026 and 2030 broadcast rights in India, though they eventually asked for less. Even so, the offer of twenty million dollars by the joint effort between Reliance and Disney remains too low. Since the games will be played across the US, Canada, and Mexico, matches may run late into the night there.

That timing might discourage fans from tuning in regularly. Fewer eyes on screen could mean weaker ad income down the line. Broadcasters in India are watching that risk closely. Money talks, but time zones speak louder now. Expectations shifted when reality set in about sleep schedules. A gap lingers between asking price and real value.

Football just doesn’t draw crowds like cricket does in India, while shrinking ad budgets have cooled things even more. Even though the event grabs attention worldwide, those inside the business say networks are holding back because of the climate.

Even with some 200 million people who follow football, China still has no network set to show the games. This gap in one of the world’s biggest markets makes it harder to predict how far the event will spread worldwide.

Four weeks left, maybe fewer. Time keeps moving. One person who knows the field said things aren’t stuck, they’re shifting, like near the end of a chess match. A deal could happen. Then again, it might not.

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