MUMBAI: Soccer?s governing body Fifa has announced the extension of its broadcast rights agreement with Brazilian broadcaster Globo for the 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia and the 2022 Fifa World Cup Qatar.

The agreement covers cable, satellite, terrestrial, mobile and broadband Internet transmission across the country.

Fifa Secretary General J?r?me Valcke said, "Globo?s strength in distribution across such a vast territory as Brazil ensures the tournament can be followed by as many people as possible, and this was the determining factor in our decision to extend the agreement with Globo".

Globo chairman, CEO Roberto Irineu Marinho said, "For more than 40 years, Fifa and Globo have developed a very fruitful partnership which has led to significant rewards for both of us. During all these years, Fifa has succeeded in making football the most popular sport with a huge audience all over the world and Globo is very proud of being part of it. The most important thing to Globo is to allow our viewers to be part of the tournaments as if they were on the pitch themselves. For that reason, we are proud to extend this partnership".

Globo, a Fifa broadcast partner since 1970, has committed to unprecedented presence and coverage levels of the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil onwards, including free TV coverage as agreed between the two parties and in line with Fifa distribution policies.

MUMBAI: MP and Silva, an international sports media company, and Globo TV Sports, the exclusive distributor of Campeonato Paulista and Brasileirao, have signed a deal including the distribution of rights of Campeonato Brasileiro da S?rie A (also known as Brazilian League S?rie A or Brasileir?o) and Campeonato Paulista in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Under the agreement, MP & Silva will distribute a package of Campeonato Paulista from January to April and Campeonato Brasileiro S?rie A from May to December, ensuring that broadcasters get access to top quality football all year long. The deal will cover the seasons of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Once the stage of historical top scorers such as Pele, Zico and Romario, Campeonato Brasileiro is now the home for new Brazilian stars like Neymar, Ganso and Ronaldinho to shine. Twenty clubs compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro S?rie A. Since the 2003, the league began using a double round-robin format.

Each team plays the other clubs twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games. The most successful clubs are Palmeiras, Santos, Flamengo and S?o Paulo.

The package also includes a weekly football programme called ?FootBrazil? containing inside information and up-to-the-minute news on Brazilian football and off-the-pitch news-flashes from championship matches all over Brazil.

The deal will cover all broadcast technologies and media platforms, including terrestrial free-to-air television (FTA), satellite and cable television, Internet protocol television (IPTV), mobile television, mobile, and Internet and broadband television.