Zee Entertainment on Wednesday said it had secured the broadcast and digital rights for Italy’s Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana football leagues across India and six other South Asian markets. The five-year agreement, which will take effect from August 22, 2026, will expand Zee’s football portfolio, which includes Bundesliga and FIFA matches.
While Zee did not specify the deal size, the broadcast will include live matches, highlights and related football programming which will be available on both Zee5 and the company’s Unite8 Sports channels. Besides India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives are part of the media rights deal, Zee said.
Serie A includes clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, alongside players including Lautaro Martínez, Paulo Dybala and Mateo Retegui.
Commenting on the acquisition, Bavesh Janavlekar, chief business officer, Unite8 Sports, Zee Entertainment said the addition of key global properties like ‘Serie A’, ‘Coppa Italia’ and ‘Supercoppa Italiana’ was a reflection of the scale and passion of football across the country.
“Together with FIFA and Bundesliga, it further strengthens our ability to offer consumers compelling football content, while creating new opportunities to deepen the engagement beyond the live match,” he said.
Last week, shareholders at Zee had greenlit a Rs 3,143.52 crore crucial fundraising proposal that would be deployed through FY29, with sports receiving the largest operating allocation. As part of the plan, Zee has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for sports rights, production capabilities and related infrastructure as it eyes a larger presence in the space.
Zee has been rebuilding its sports portfolio after exiting the business in 2016 through properties including ILT20 cricket, the Bengal Super League, UP Kabaddi, pickleball and Pro Govinda. Football a key strategic pillar within the sports vertical, with the company eyeing acquisitions of more football tournaments and leagues in the future.