Zee Entertainment in talks to land FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast deal in India; to launch Unite8 Sports sports channel

Leading Content & Technology powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (‘Z’) has officially confirmed that it is in talks to land the FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcasting deal for Indian viewers. The development was announced on Tuesday along with the news of four new sports channels set to launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

The announcement comes at a time amid the heightened speculation over the premier football event broadcast rights in the Indians sports broadcasting market, especially for the global marquee events. With the tournament being less than three weeks away before kickoff, the news comes in a sigh of relief for a lot of football fans in the country.

“With an aim to build a competitive sports content offering, the Company is also in talks with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast and stream the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in India,” the company said in a press statement, shared on Tuesday.

Earlier, former All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary Shaji Prabhakaran had posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the FIFA World Cup 2026's broadcasting partners in India without naming anyone.

“After months of uncertainty, fans can finally relax, the World Cup will be fully accessible in India,” Prabhakaran, an executive committee member at Asian Football Confederation (AFC) wrote on Saturday. “The wait is finally over. Negotiations are complete, and the official announcement for the FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcasting partner in India is expected next week."

Over the years, Zee has built a strong presence in sports broadcasting by offering key sporting events across its entertainment channels. To further enhance its presence across the sports broadcasting ecosystem, Zee will also be launching four dedicated sports channels –Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi and Unite8 Sports 2, Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English to cater diverse consumer preferences.

Zee appoints Bavesh Janavlekar as CBO of Unite8 Sports channels

The channels will offer the best of action across football, kabaddi, cricket, badminton, wrestling, boxing and combat sports amongst others. The requisite applications for the launch of the channels have been submitted by Zee. The company has also appointed Bavesh Janavlekar as the Chief Business Officer of Unite8 Sports channels.

Speaking about the development, Janavlekar said, “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."

“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,” he added.