JTBC, which filed for court receivership, pushed back against rumors that it would halt broadcasts of the "2026 North and Central America World Cup," saying there will be no disruption through the final.
JTBC said in an official statement on the 24th that it plans to broadcast all matches of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) North and Central America World Cup, which is currently underway, without disruption through the final.
Earlier, JNN, a TBS-affiliated Japanese outlet, reported that JTBC failed to pay part of the World Cup broadcasting rights fee due under its contract with FIFA by the deadline and is now negotiating to maintain the rights, raising the possibility that broadcasts of matches starting on the 29th could be halted. JTBC, however, countered that this was "incorrect information."
However, JTBC did not comment on the status of rights fee payments or the progress of negotiations with FIFA.
Back in 2019, JTBC bought the broadcasting rights for all Olympics and World Cups to be held from 2026 to 2032. Ahead of the World Cup, JTBC launched an open bid to resell rights to the three terrestrial networks (KBS, MBC, SBS), but talks fell through and it confirmed a joint broadcast only with KBS.