India may finally get World Cup broadcaster as Zee enters talks with FIFA

Football fans in India were handed a glimmer of hope on Tuesday as Zee Entertainment announced that it is in talks with FIFA to broadcast and stream the World Cup 2026 in the country. The 2026 World Cup is set to start on 11 June, but India still does not have an official broadcaster. Amid fears that the world's largest population may miss out on the World Cup, Zee has unveiled a four-channel linear sports portfolio on Tuesday. They are now in negotiations with FIFA to acquire the World Cup media rights for India.

Zee to show World Cup in India? The company has so far not revealed any financial details, but it could be more than the $20 million offer that JioHotstar made to FIFA. The world governing body was initially hoping to sign a $100 million deal for the broadcast rights of the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.

But unfavourable match timings during the 2026 World Cup that will be played in the US, Canada and Mexico have proven to be a stumbling block. According to Reuters, FIFA is still aiming for no less than about $60 ​million for the Indian market.

But there's also a possibility that Zee signs a deal for a far lesser amount and only for the 2026 edition. For the unversed, Sony had also held talks with FIFA regarding the World Cup rights, but did not make an offer. Zee launches four sports channels The four linear channels launched by Zee are Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English.

The company has already filed for the regulatory applications, and hopes to telecast multiple sports, including football, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling and combat sports on its channels. The Unite8 Sports will be led by Bavesh Janavlekar, who has led Zee’s Marathi-language movies cluster across linear and studio operations. “In a vast country like India, there is rising demand for sports which are global in appeal yet rooted within the heartland. Sports consumption across the country is accelerating rapidly, driven by an increasing demand for live, appointment-based content and rising audience affinity for multiple sporting formats,” Janavlekar said. "Building a robust presence in the linear ecosystem with four channels aligns with our broader strategy of diversifying the content portfolio and building scalable, value-accretive businesses that capitalize on emerging growth opportunities."