What are the details of CazéTV’s latest rights deal?

CazéTV – the streaming platform created by Brazilian influencer Casimiro in partnership with LiveMode – has again expanded its footprint in the sports broadcasting market by securing digital rights in Brazil to all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This marks a major step up from its 2022 World Cup coverage, when it streamed 22 matches, and continues a trajectory that has included rights to the Olympics, the FIFA Club World Cup, and Brazil’s top domestic league, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

For the 2026 tournament, rights will be shared with broadcaster Globo, which will air 52 matches – including all of Brazil’s fixtures – across all of its platforms. CazéTV will be the only Brazilian broadcaster with the rights to every single match, and plans to show matches on its digital platforms including YouTube and Twitch, with the channel also being carried on Disney+. The streamer also plans to complement its coverage with influencer-led content designed to appeal to younger, digitally native audiences.

As the seller of the rights, FIFA’s strategy reflects a hybrid approach to rights distribution – pairing the broad reach and established credibility of Globo with the innovation and youth appeal of CazéTV. According to Ampere Sports Consumer survey data, 38% of Brazilian sports fans aged 18–24 watched CazéTV in the past month, compared to 27% of fans aged 35–64. This dual-broadcaster model allows FIFA to maximise reach across age demographics, while offering CazéTV an opportunity to grow its audience, build brand equity, and capitalise on ad revenue opportunities around the fourth most popular sporting competition in Brazil (Ampere Sports – Consumer, Q4 2024).

Will other influencers start to follow suit?

The Brazilian market is well-placed for disruption from free-to-access OTT broadcasters. Brazilian sports fans tend to be more price-sensitive than fans in wealthier markets, with lower willingness to pay for live sports content. Ampere’s Q4 2024 survey shows that six of the ten most-used platforms for watching sport in Brazil in the past month were free-to-access, three of which were OTT services – underscoring the growing appetite for alternative, low-cost delivery models. CazéTV’s model is well-aligned to these consumption patterns, particularly among younger fans. These younger demographics are not only more engaged with sports content, but also more likely to form the foundation of a long-term audience base, which is critical for the sustainability of newer platforms. These market dynamics have also led to influencer-led platform NWB acquiring Campeonato Brasileiro Série B rights in the market as well.

However, while CazéTV demonstrates the potential for influencers to reshape the broadcasting landscape, replicating its model poses challenges. In Brazil, only 41% of total sports rights investment in 2024 came from pay-TV or subscription platforms – a stark contrast to the big five European markets, where an average of 84% of rights value is delivered via paid services. This disparity highlights the strength of paywalled platforms in more developed media markets, where fans are more willing to spend to watch live sport. Greater spend from subscription services generally means rights are more expensive in the market, creating more of a barrier to entry for broadcasters with a free-to-air business model. For influencer-led platforms that depend on free-to-access distribution via services like YouTube and Twitch, another key hurdle remains monetisation. While these platforms can achieve high engagement and broad reach, a fully ad-funded model limits revenue potential, especially when bidding for more premium properties. As a result, while CazéTV has carved out a unique and successful niche, it is unlikely we’ll see a widespread wave of influencers acquiring rights to top-tier sports properties globally – at least not without a viable and scalable monetisation model in place.

What can other broadcasters learn from this?

CazéTV is an example of how sports broadcasting has adapted in an increasingly digital market and how traditional television spaces can be blended with influencer-led social video. In Brazil, eyes will be on how CazéTV can navigate its current pioneering role and compete with dominant market forces like Globo, while also making rights acquisitions profitable. 

YouTube is a key part of CazéTV’s broadcast strategy. Reaching younger audiences remains at the forefront for streamers and broadcasters alike and YouTube currently has the reach globally, with 47% of sports fans across 16 markets in Ampere’s Sports-Consumer survey using the platform to watch sport content in the last month (Q4 2024) - a number which rises to 51% among 18-24 year-olds. As YouTube further encroaches traditional TV spaces, we may see more broadcasters look to leverage sports rights through the social giant in markets outside of Brazil, where rights contracts allow. With sports being one of the pillars of appointment-to-view television, for broadcasters this will be another indicator of where younger audiences are consuming content. Especially if we see more premium sports right trend towards influencers and YouTube in general. 

In the UK, broadcasters like Channel 4 and ITV are already in partnerships with YouTube to distribute library content with the purpose of reaching these audiences that have moved away or never interacted with their owned and operated services. It seems likely that YouTube will continue to carve out its spot in the sports space, the question is whether this will be led by partnerships, creators or YouTube itself.

Ampere’s Sports clients can read more about CazéTV and its sports broadcasting strategy here.