How to win sports broadcast rights
The big events are on the calendar well ahead, and the rights are sold to every station in the same auction. Know when they open and keep cash in hand.
- Events on the calendar
- 24
- Sports tournaments
- 18
- Auction closes
- 2 days before air
- A year
- 364 days · 4 seasons
The calendar and the auction
A year in this world is 364 days, and day 1 is the 1st of March. Four-yearly tournaments are staggered so they do not collide; annual finals and openers come round every year. As an event approaches, its rights go to auction, closing 2 days before the broadcast.
The 18 sports tournaments
| Name | Held | When |
|---|---|---|
| World Go Masters | Every year | January |
| Winter World Games | Every 4 years | February |
| World Baseball Cup | Every 4 years | March |
| Volleyball Championship Final | Every year | March |
| Pro Baseball Opening Day | Every year | April |
| City Marathon | Every year | April |
| Basketball Championship Final | Every year | April |
| World Football Championship | Every 4 years | June |
| Continental Football Championship | Every 4 years | June |
| Continental Cycling Tour | Every year | July |
| Summer World Games | Every 4 years | July |
| World Basketball Championship | Every 4 years | August |
| Harvest Festival Wrestling Championship | Every year | September |
| Continental Games | Every 4 years | September |
| World Volleyball Championship | Every 4 years | September |
| Baseball Championship Series | Every year | October |
| World Esports Final | Every year | October |
| Football Championship Final | Every year | November |
What the winner pays
The highest bidder wins but does not pay its whole bid — only the second-highest bid plus a minimum increment. A winner without the cash at closing loses it and the rights go unsold. Unsold rights bring the next auction's opening price down; expensive sales push it up.
Coverage must air within a set window, mostly in prime time or daytime. A big match can decide that night's prime-time result on its own, so check whether it lands on a big-match day.
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