Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat "are seeking online rights to video highlights" from the 2018 World Cup, two people familiar with the matter said, according to Lucas Shaw of BLOOMBERG. The companies have offered 21st Century Fox tens of millions of dollars "for rights to highlights from the Russia-hosted games that air in the U.S.," according to the sources, who declined to "provide more specific terms and asked not to be identified because the talks are private." Fox has not decided "whether to sell exclusive rights to one buyer or to spread them around." Social media's growing interest in video, including sports, gives Fox a "potentially significant new revenue source" for the games as well as a tool to promote its coverage. The World Cup is an "attractive target for social-media companies eager to exhibit more premium video and attract advertisers." The 2014 World Cup Final was viewed by more than 25 million people in the U.S., the most-watched football match in the country's history. The four companies "declined to comment on talks, which also could include other parties" (BLOOMBERG, 7/6).
