Los Angeles — Facebook, Twitter and Snap are seeking online rights to video highlights from next year’s Fifa World Cup, soccer’s most popular tournament, according to two people familiar with the matter. The companies have offered 21st Century Fox tens of millions of dollars for rights to highlights from the Russia-hosted games that air in the US, according to the people, who declined to provide more specific terms and asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Fox hasn’t decided whether to sell exclusive rights to one buyer or to spread them around. Social media’s growing interest in video, including sports, gives Fox a potentially significant new revenue source for the games as well as a tool to promote its coverage. Fox holds US rights to the four-yearly event, and will air games on broadcast and cable TV. The company paid a reported $400m for multi-year Fifa World Cup rights. The tournament is an attractive target for social-media companies eager to exhibit more p...
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