India’s Zee Entertainment Secures FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Rights in Landmark Deal]

India’s Zee Entertainment Secures FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Rights in Landmark Deal]

Zee will broadcast the 2026 and 2030 World Cups and the 2027 Women’s World Cup among 39 FIFA tournaments until 2034.

FIFA has finalized a deal with India’s Zee Entertainment to broadcast the World Cup in the country, ending months of uncertainty over rights to one of the last major markets without secured tournament coverage.

The agreement, signed Monday, grants Zee rights to 39 FIFA events through 2034, including the men’s tournaments in 2026 and 2030, and the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Financial terms were not disclosed, though FIFA reportedly reduced its asking price from approximately $100 million to $60 million for the package.

The deal marks Zee’s entry into India’s competitive sports broadcasting landscape, where the Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar currently dominates with rights to the Indian Premier League and English Premier League.

Zee shares rose 7 percent following the announcement, which came just 10 days before the tournament begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Analysts note challenges with the timing, as most matches will air during unusual hours for Indian viewers due to the 10-12 hour time difference. Only 14 of the 104 games will start before midnight for audiences in India, including the final on July 19, which begins at 19:00 GMT and airs at 12:30am on July 20 local time.

Karan Taurani, executive vice president at Elara Capital, described traditional television as a “struggling” medium in India for major sporting events. “When you have these kinds of sporting events, effectively it is mostly digital that is monetising and raising big money,” he told Al Jazeera. “That is a big reason why no one’s showing interest in the FIFA World Cup.”

Cricket remains dominant in the Indian sports economy, with only a small fraction of Indian Premier League viewers tuning in for FIFA events, Taurani noted, adding that even fewer watch past midnight.

This follows Viacom18’s $60 million acquisition of rights for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which featured more favorable time zones for Indian audiences. Many of this year’s matches will air late at night due to scheduling, potentially affecting broadcast interest and FIFA’s commercial strategy.

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