Sports
Zee nears FIFA World Cup India rights deal as JioStar drops out
With JioStar out of the race, India’s beleaguered broadcaster smells a deal and a comeback
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment is closing in on the India media rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, moving swiftly after JioStar walked away from the table and left the field wide open.
Negotiations with football’s governing body, FIFA, are in their final stretch, with a deal expected to be signed imminently, according to people familiar with the matter. Zee confirmed as much in an exchange filing on Tuesday, saying it was in talks to broadcast and stream the tournament as part of a push to “build a competitive sports content offering.” Financial terms remain undisclosed.
JioStar, the streaming and broadcasting giant, had tabled a final offer of around $15m before pulling out, citing the razor-thin window between signing and kick-off, which would give it little room to recoup costs through advertising.
The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The commercial logic is tight. Football commands a sizeable following in India, with nearly 300 million television and digital viewers tuning in during 2025, but it is a minnow next to cricket when it comes to advertising clout. Industry executives had broadly agreed that anything beyond $10-15m would amount to overpaying. The North American time zones will further dent prime-time viewership, and advertisers are already treading carefully amid geopolitical jitters in West Asia.
For Zee, battered by years of financial turbulence and a collapsed merger with Sony, landing the World Cup would be more than a rights deal. It would be a statement. Premium live sport is now the battlefield for audience attention and ad rupees, and Zee cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.
The whistle hasn’t blown yet. But Zee is lacing up its boots.
