Zee Entertainment Enterprises on Tuesday said that it was in talks with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast and stream the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in India. The company also said that it was launching Unite8 Sports, a dedicated portfolio of sports channels, as it sought to expand its presence in sports broadcasting.

“Unite8 Sports will encompass emerging formats, marquee properties and high-engagement content,” Zee said in a statement.

The company’s decision to step into the race for the FIFA broadcast deal comes amid a lukewarm response from rival broadcasters. While JioStar, the country’s largest media company, according to industry sources has offered to pay around $20-25 million for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Zee may look to put a higher amount on the table at about $30-35 million.

FIFA had initially sought around $100 million for the broadcast of the tournament in India, implying a scale-back of almost 70-80% in terms of valuation, according to industry experts. The FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US, starting June 11 and concluding on July 19. Almost 90% of the 104 matches will be played between midnight and 6 am IST, a difficult slot for Indian advertisers, experts said.

Despite the challenges, Zee’s decision to consider the FIFA broadcast deal may galvanise its sports broadcasting ambitions, experts said. 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 Tueday, the company said it would launch four channels under the Unite8 portfolio including Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD. The company said it had submitted the requisite applications for the launch of the channels.

While Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD would be in Hindi; Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD would be in English. The channels would carry sports content across football, kabaddi, cricket, badminton, wrestling, boxing and combat sports, among others.

Bavesh Janavlekar, who has been managing the Marathi movies cluster across the linear and studio business, will take additional charge as Chief Business Officer of Unite8 Sports channels, Zee said.