Brazil’s biggest soccer broadcaster Is now a guy who started on Twitch. He beat Globo

In Brazil, home of soccer-mad fans and the five-time world champions, the only way to watch all 104 games of the World Cup will be through a streaming platform anchored by an influencer. Elsewhere, users will get to see parts of matches live on You Tube and Tik Tok for the first time. Forget about the exclusivity of traditional over-the-air networks: The World Cup will be watched differently this time. As FIFA pushes to engage a new generation of fans, younger audiences will have more options to access soccer’s showcase event thanks to what soccer’s governing body describes as a record number of deals with broadcast partners that carry digital-only platforms. Creators’ perspectives will be brought to the forefront and user experiences worldwide will be enhanced thanks to what FIFA is calling “game-changing” partnerships. The goal is to grab viewers’ attention, effectively giving them an appetizer that will encourage them to go back and watch the games on traditional channels. Co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, this year’s World Cup — the biggest ever, with 48 teams — begins Thursday and will run through July 19. Brazil’s CazéTV has the rights to all games Brazil historically has been one of the countries with the most engagement on social media and digital platforms. FIFA took notice, and four years ago did a type of a test run with popular streamer Casimiro Miguel, now 32, who had shown success engaging with younger sports fans on his Twitch channel. For the 2022 Qatar World Cup, FIFA reached a deal with him — and his partner LiveMode — to broadcast 22 matches on the CazéTV YouTube channel. With a more informal and conversational approach to the broadcast, along with increased fan engagement and the participation of content creators as commentators, the trial was considered a resounding success. It led to an expanded deal for the tournament this year, with CazéTV becoming the only channel — digital or traditional — with rights to all