Zee secures broadcast rights for India’s Zimbabwe cricket tour

MUMBAI: Zee is adding another innings to its sports playbook, this time with a ticket to Harare and a front-row seat to India’s next overseas assignment. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights for India’s tour of Zimbabwe, further strengthening its growing sports portfolio as it looks to build Unite8 Sports into a major destination for live sporting action.

The Twenty20 International series, scheduled for July 2026, will be broadcast live across the network’s newly launched sports channels. Matches will air on Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi, while Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD will carry English-language coverage.

The deal, signed with Zimbabwe Cricket, adds another international property to Zee’s expanding sports slate, which already includes the ILT20 and a landmark long-term agreement to broadcast major FIFA events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026.

For Zee, the acquisition is less about a single bilateral series and more about strengthening a broader sports strategy centred on premium live content across multiple disciplines.

India’s tour of Zimbabwe remains one of the country’s most-followed overseas cricket fixtures, often serving as a platform for emerging talent and fresh team combinations. The series also offers broadcasters a valuable opportunity to attract cricket audiences during a packed international calendar.

The latest rights acquisition comes shortly after Zee intensified its push into sports broadcasting with the launch of four dedicated sports channels and a commitment to expanding its live-event portfolio.

As competition for premium sports rights intensifies across television and streaming platforms, broadcasters are increasingly looking beyond marquee tournaments to build year-round engagement and audience loyalty.

With cricket continuing to command some of the largest television audiences in the country, India’s Zimbabwe tour provides another strategic addition to Zee’s growing content arsenal.

The move also reflects the company’s ambition to create a diversified sports ecosystem spanning cricket, football and other global sporting properties, as it competes for viewer attention in an increasingly crowded media landscape.

For cricket fans, meanwhile, the equation is simple, another overseas India series now has a new home, and Zee is hoping it becomes another milestone in its sports broadcasting journey.