After Months Of Uncertainty, Zee Secures FIFA World Cup Broadcast Rights

Ending months of uncertainty, Zee Entertainment has bagged the broadcast and digital streaming rights for major FIFA properties, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, for India. 

The company will air the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will take place across the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11, along with 39 FIFA events spanning 2026-2034 through its newly launched Unite8 Sports TV channels, while live streaming will be available on ZEE5.

The long-term rights package includes a wide range of tournaments such as youth World Cups, Futsal competitions, Intercontinental Cup fixtures and exclusive docu-series content, building a year-round football content pipeline for Indian audiences.

Alongside the rights acquisition, Zee announced the launch of a dedicated sports network under the Unite8 Sports brand, comprising Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.

With the deal, Zee is looking to strengthen its sports strategy by combining its linear television reach with ZEE5’s digital ecosystem, offering multilingual coverage and wider accessibility to football fans across India.

The development ends months of uncertainty surrounding the broadcast of the marquee football event in India. With the tournament less than two weeks away, it provides much-needed clarity for football fans across the country on where the matches will be available. 

“The Indian market is of strategic importance for FIFA as it displays immense potential driven by a young and passionate audience. We believe the extensive broadcast and digital distribution ecosystem of ‘Z’ coupled with their deep understanding of local viewers and multi-platform capabilities will play a pivotal role in expanding the reach of football with fans across every part of India,” Romy Gai, FIFA CBO said.

A Shrinking Pool Of Buyers  

FIFA had initially sought bids for a combined 2026 and 2030 World Cup package and reportedly targeted close to $100 Mn for the India rights, around 40% higher than what Viacom18 paid for the 2022 World Cup.

However, the governing body eventually had to recalibrate its expectations amid limited interest from broadcasters.

JioHotstar’s bid was reportedly rejected for being too low, while SonyLIV evaluated the opportunity but chose not to submit a bid. State-run broadcaster Prasar Bharati and FanCode also stayed away from the process. 

Zee’s FIFA deal comes at a time when India’s sports broadcasting market is more concentrated than ever. JioStar remains the undisputed heavyweight, controlling some of the country’s most valuable sports properties, including ICC events, the IPL and the English Premier League (EPL). Through the erstwhile Viacom18 portfolio, it also has exposure to India domestic cricket and the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

SonyLIV’s key sports asset is the Asian Games 2026, while FanCode has carved out a niche with properties such as the Indian Super League (ISL), La Liga and Formula 1.

The competitive landscape narrowed considerably after Reliance Industries and Walt Disney combined their India media businesses in 2024, bringing Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema under the JioStar umbrella. As a result, the pool of broadcasters capable of writing big-ticket cheques for global sporting events has shrunk dramatically.

At the same time, broadcasters are becoming far more selective about where they deploy capital. After splurging on premium cricket rights over the past few years, the focus has shifted from chasing scale at any cost to extracting returns from existing investments.

This caution explains why FIFA’s India rights process turned into a prolonged negotiation despite football’s growing popularity in the country.

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