Sports
Zee Entertainment attracts more than 12 brands for FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast
Mahindra and Diageo lead a roster that spans auto, FMCG, beverages and technology as Zee bets its new sports network on football’s biggest stage
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises has signed up more than a dozen brands for the FIFA World Cup 2026, building a commercially formidable advertiser lineup ahead of what the company is positioning as a watershed moment for sports broadcasting in India.
Mahindra has come on board as co-presenting sponsor, with Diageo taking the co-powered-by slot. Apple, Pernod Ricard and Mondelez are among the other marquee names that have committed across platforms, with the full roster spanning auto, FMCG, BFSI, beverages, technology and lifestyle categories. Active discussions with several more brands are under way.
The commercial push runs across Zee’s newly launched Unite8 Sports linear network, comprising two Hindi and two English channels, and its digital platform ZEE5. Advertisers are being offered customised packages spanning linear, digital, connected television, social and on-ground integrations, giving brands the flexibility to build bespoke campaigns around specific audience segments and business goals.
Sandeep Mehrotra, chief operating officer for advertisement revenue at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, made no attempt to undersell the moment. “We have built an unmatched offering for advertisers that enables them to be part of the entire fan journey, from discovery to engagement,” he said. “Our integrated model is aimed at delivering stronger brand recall and measurable outcomes that combine scale with storytelling. We remain confident that FIFA World Cup 2026 on ‘Z’ will set a new benchmark for sports monetisation across the country.”
The stakes are considerable. Zee acquired an eight-year, 39-tournament FIFA rights package, covering the 2026 and 2030 Men’s World Cups and the 2027 Women’s World Cup, for approximately $40m, well below FIFA’s initial $100m target for the Indian market. The gap left by JioStar, which declined to bid seriously after its blockbuster merger with Disney-Star and Viacom18, handed Zee a rare structural opening. Whether it can fully monetise that opening is the question the advertiser response is beginning to answer.
Zee’s pitch to brands is built around reach and integration at every stage of the consumer journey, from awareness through to advocacy, with value parity promised across linear and digital platforms regardless of where audiences choose to watch.
With 12 brands already signed and more in the pipeline, Zee’s World Cup gamble is starting to look rather less like a punt and rather more like a plan.
