Zee Entertainment (Zee) on Monday picked up the rights to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending months of uncertainty over the tournament’s availability in India. The agreement also includes rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup and a portfolio of FIFA events through 2034. Sources familiar with the matter said the package was acquired for about $35 million (around ₹330 crore).
A total of 39 global football events will be available in India over the next eight years across television and digital (Zee5), creating a compelling proposition for advertisers and viewers, Zee said. Investors welcomed the move, with Zee shares rising as much as 7.2% on Monday before closing 2.67% higher at ₹95.75 apiece on the BSE.
Breaking the Deadlock
The deal comes just 10 days before the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in the US, Mexico and Canada. India had remained one of the last major markets without a broadcaster for football’s marquee tournament after negotiations between FIFA and leading media companies, including JioStar, failed to reach a conclusion.
Zee had confirmed last week that it was in talks with FIFA for the media rights of the 2026 edition, adding it was also launching Unite8 Sports, a dedicated portfolio of sports channels. Rival JioStar had offered to pay around $20-25 million for the deal, almost 80% below FIFA’s initial asking price of $100 million.
Late-Night Broadcast Hurdles
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will include 48 teams and will conclude on July 19.Nearly 90 per cent of the tournament’s 104 matches will be played between midnight and 6 am IST, limiting prime-time advertising opportunities in India, experts said.
Despite the challenges, Zee’s is expected to focus on ad sales and distribution, experts said, as a monetisation strategy for the 2026 edition given the limited time before the event begins.
The company had re-entered sports broadcasting in 2022 after bagging a long-term media rights contract to telecast the UAE T20 League on its entertainment channels and Zee5 platform. The deal was valued at Rs 800-900 crore for a ten-year period. This deal had come after Zee sold its Ten Sports television network to Sony in 2016 for Rs 2,600 crore, exiting the business back then.
On Monday, the company said it would broadcast the tournament on four channels under the Unite8 portfolio including Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD. Zee5 was expected to provide an immersive viewing experience in multiple languages, it added.
“Football cuts across regions and demographics, and the investments in garnering the media rights and launching dedicated sports channels, reflect our clear belief in its long-term potential,” Punit Goenka, CEO, Zee Entertainment, said.