Facebook hopes to score streaming rights for 2018 World Cup

Facebook has been busy recently with reports the social media company is in talks with Hollywood studios to produce shows along with efforts to get the streaming rights for the 2018 World Cup.

According to Activate founder Michael Wolf, there are two potential shows being discussed for Facebook.

“[Mark Zuckerberg is] out in Hollywood saying that they’re going to spend $3 million an episode, but so far they haven’t produced anything.  They say that they have two shows, we have one that’s called ‘Strangers’ and one that’s called ‘Last State Standing’ and they’re more like reality shows,” Wolf told the FOX Business Network’s Liz Claman.

For the 2018 World Cup, Facebook is fighting for the rights to air highlights.

“I think that the difference with the highlights is that he may not get the exclusive rights, because…the World Cup doesn’t have an interest in all of those rights going to the same company, so he’s likely to get them.”

But Wolf says much of this is laying the groundwork at Facebook for future sports streaming rights.

“The date to remember is 2019, because in 2019 a lot of the sports rights from ESPN, and other networks expire and that’s when all of the digital companies are going to be looking.”