Russian state-controlled commercial broadcaster Channel One and privately-held broadcaster Match TV have secured rights to the forthcoming Fifa Confederations Cup national team football tournament, according to Sport-Express.
The Russian newspaper said the deal is part of a broader agreement including the 2018 World Cup, but did not disclose information on the terms of the contract for next year’s showpiece event in Russia.
Sport-Express said that due to the protracted negotiations over the deal it has been decided that payment for the rights will be split across the two tournaments. It added that the deal will be worth $36m (€32.8m) in total, with the Confederations Cup accounting for around $4.5m of this fee.
The report comes after Gazprom-Media chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko last week said Russian broadcasters had put forward a “unified proposal” to world football’s governing body. Russia’s largest media holding group owns Match TV.
The Telesport agency is understood to have been negotiating with Fifa since October for the rights on behalf of a consortium of state broadcaster VGTRK, Channel One and Match TV. Fifa was said to have been seeking $120m for the rights, with Russian broadcasters having paid around $32m for rights to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Confederations Cup will run from June 17 to July 2. Russia has been drawn against New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico in Group A. It takes on New Zealand in the opening game in Saint Petersburg.