The streaming platform is in business with a soccer version of FIFA Netflix and Amazon Prime.
The service is free and basically includes documentaries and some live games at launch, but it could eventually be a way for FIFA to broadcast World Cup matches at a cost.
While increasingly positioning itself as a competitor to existing media companies, the governing body will also use FIFA + to promote sponsors.
“There is no plan to charge a subscription fee for the service, which does not mean that we cannot evolve over time if there is a price offer that allows us to charge a subscription if we take a premium right or take another type. Model, ”said Charlotte Barr, FIFA’s director of strategy. “But FIFA + will always have a free experience.”
Geo-blocking can be used to limit matches broadcast on FIFA + to specific regions. FIFA was less clear that the platform would be an accessible means of watching World Cup qualifiers that are often not widely available because each federation is able to sell the rights and some confederations combine them.
FIFA says live matches will precede the competition due to a lack of coverage, initially streaming 1,400 games per month.
The launch will see FIFA transferred content from YouTube that it previously used to broadcast classic matches and sports politics events. The recent FIFA Congress in Qatar has not been streamed on the long-running video sharing website as before.
“We’re a little bit more tactful about where and when to go,” said Madati, FIFA’s chief commercial officer.