CBF Will Broadcast Upcoming Matches On New Platforms, Marking Break With TV Globo

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will broadcast upcoming matches against Argentina and Australia on new media platforms, "marking a surprise break with long-time partner TV Globo," the sporting organization said on Wednesday, according to Andrew Downie of REUTERS. Calling the move "unprecedented," the CBF said that the two games would be shown on its website, Facebook page, mobile phone apps through sponsor Vivo, Brazil's largest wireless carrier, and on UOL, "one of its biggest online media sites." Two small government-run channels, TV Brasil and TV Cultura, will also broadcast the games live. The CBF said, "This is a way to further democratise the reach of Brazil matches, offering fans new alternatives to see the Brazilian national team on the field." The move is seen as a "rebuke to TV Globo," the media conglomerate which has "broadcast Brazil games for decades and which remains one of the main rights holders, and biggest funders, of Brazil's domestic leagues" (REUTERS, 6/7).