JioStar exits FIFA World Cup rights race; Zee continues negotiations

Zee Entertainment Enterprises is likely to acquire the India media rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after JioStar exited the race, likely ending uncertainty over the tournament’s broadcast and streaming availability in the country, according to people familiar with the matter.

Negotiations between Zee and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) are still underway and an agreement is expected to be signed soon, sources said.

Zee in its media statement confirmed that it is in talks with FIFA to broadcast and stream the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in India as part of its efforts to “build a competitive sports content offering”.

“With an aim to build a competitive sports content offering, the Company is also in talks with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast and stream the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in India,” Zee said.

It added: “With the launch of a dedicated linear sports portfolio, ‘Z’ is reinforcing its commitment to strategically expand its presence in the high-growth sports broadcasting segment and build long-term value through a balanced mix of scale and innovation.”

A source also said that Zee has always been prudent in content spending, and if the deal is finalised, the acquisition cost will be very low.

People aware of the negotiations said JioStar had made a final offer of around $20 million before deciding to pull out of the bidding process while FIFA was seeking $35 million.

Executives pointed to the time-zone difference for matches being played in North America as a likely dampener on viewership and advertising revenues and the small window to market and acquire advertisers. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The development marks a significant push by Zee to rebuild and expand its sports business at a time when broadcasters are increasingly pursuing premium live sports content to drive audience engagement, subscription growth and advertising revenues.

In line with its strategic approach, Zee will launch four dedicated sports channels – Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi and Unite8 Sports 2, Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English.

e4m reached out to Zee and JioStar for comments, but did not receive any response till the time of publishing.