Fox, Telemundo get US World Cup rights

? FIFA cashed in on a $1.2 billion bonanza from United States broadcasters Friday, striking World Cup deals with Fox, Telemundo and Spanish language radio.

Fox won the English-language U.S. television rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, outbidding incumbent ESPN and NBC for soccer’s showpiece tournament.

Fox agreed to pay around $425 million for the two-tournament package, a person familiar with the bidding told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the figure was not made public. It also secured English-language radio rights.

ESPN paid $100 million to show the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 event in Brazil. The World Cup will be held in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022.

Telemundo paid around $600 million for the Spanish-language deal, the person said. Telemundo, which is owned by NBC Universal, also defeated a rights holder, Univision, which had paid $325 million for the 2010-2014 package.

Spanish-language radio rights went to Futbol de Primera Radio for more than $100 million.

The deals were agreed to on an important day for FIFA President Sepp Blatter. He revealed the first steps in a wide-ranging reform program he initiated after a troubled year that was peppered with scandals implicating some of his most senior colleagues within world soccer’s ruling body.

The American contracts cover tournament finals in all FIFA competitions from 2015-22, also giving Fox the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and ’19.

Fox adds soccer’s biggest event to a portfolio of rights that includes the UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie A.

The network is expected to televise the final and some top matches on its main over-the-air network and the majority on Fox Soccer and other of its cable networks, such FX and Fox Soccer Plus.

That is similar to The Walt Disney Co. formula, which has televised the final and a few matches on ABC, but most of them were on ESPN and ESPN2.

Acquiring FIFA rights is expected to drive distribution for Fox Soccer with cable carriers. Fox Soccer is available in 40 million U.S. households, while ESPN and ESPN2 are each available in nearly 99 million.