GECs
Zee Entertainment scores FIFA rights, shares jump 6 per cent
The Indian media group bags 39 global football events across eight years and launches four dedicated sports channels under a new brand
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment has pulled off a coup. The Indian media giant has struck a partnership with FIFA to broadcast 39 global football events in India, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, the FIFA World Cup 2030 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, sending its shares surging more than 6 per cent in afternoon trade on Monday.
The stock opened at Rs 94.10 against a previous close of Rs 93.11, hit an intraday high of Rs 99.80 on the NSE and last traded 4.54 per cent higher at Rs 97.29. The rally defied a sluggish broader market and extended a sharp recent run: the scrip has gained 18.36 per cent in a week and 9 per cent in a month, though it remains 25 per cent lower than a year ago. The company’s market capitalisation stands at Rs 9,329.53 crore.
The deal hands Zee exclusive coverage of key FIFA events for eight consecutive years, from 2026 to 2034. To carry the rights, the company is launching four dedicated sports channels under a new brand, Unite8 Sports: Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi, and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English. The channels will cover football, kabaddi, cricket, badminton, wrestling, boxing and combat sports. Streaming will run concurrently on Zee5. The football festival kicks off on 11th June 2026.
The company framed the move as a deliberate push to build a “diversified and value-accretive sports portfolio,” describing the FIFA tie-up in an exchange filing as part of the broader launch of Unite8 Sports. Earlier reports had pegged the deal’s value at approximately $30-35m, though those negotiations were said to have stalled at one point.
For Zee, a company that has spent much of the past two years fighting off debt pressures and a collapsed merger with Sony, the FIFA deal is a statement of intent. Football may still be a niche obsession in cricket-mad India, but with three World Cups on the horizon and a young, urbanising audience increasingly tuning in, the pitch is getting bigger. Zee has decided it wants to own it.
