ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro on Thursday confirmed the company “will bid on World Cup rights for the 2030 tournament.” Pitaro, speaking at Fanatics Fest in N.Y., said, “We had the World Cup for two decades and it was a big part of ESPN’s identity and DNA. ... Of course we’re interested.” He added that ESPN is “hyper-competitive” with rivals in rights negotiations. While many soccer fans and media observers “have given Fox a mixed report card compared with ESPN, Pitaro lavished praise on his competitor.” Pitaro: “I’ve been very impressed with the way Fox has covered all this. From a live game production perspective, from a studio perspective, they’ve done an outstanding job. I don’t know, honestly, how they could have done better with the product.” Landing the World Cup “will be costly, of course, given the explosion of ratings and interest.” FIFA “has yet to hold formal talks with bidders” (DEADLINE, 7/16).
Pitaro: ESPN will bid for rights to 2030 World Cup
