Fifa Secures Zee India World Cup Rights for Under Half Initial Target
Fifa has secured a last-minute media rights deal with Zee Entertainment for the 2026 and 2030 men's World Cups, as well as the 2027 Women's World Cup and other Fifa events until 2034, for over US$40 million. Zee will distribute the content via its linear Unite8 Sports channels and the Zee 5 streaming platform in India. This deal follows a withdrawal of a US$15 million bid by JioStar and ensures the World Cup will be broadcast in the Indian market.
Key Takeaways
- Zee Entertainment will broadcast 39 Fifa events through 2034, including the 2026 and 2030 men's World Cups and the 2027 Women's World Cup.
- The deal, valued at over US$40 million, is significantly below Fifa's initial US$100 million target and reduced US$60 million asking price.
- Content will be distributed via Zee's linear Unite8 Sports channels and the Zee 5 streaming platform in India.
- JioStar (Disney Star & Reliance Viacom18 joint venture) withdrew a US$15 million bid for the 2026 World Cup prior to Zee's agreement.
- Fifa reached 746 million people in India with 2022 World Cup content, including 84.9 million streaming viewers.
Why It Matters
This eleventh-hour deal avoids a broadcast blackout for the 2026 World Cup in India, a critical market that saw 746 million views for the 2022 tournament. However, it highlights declining rights values for Fifa as competition for Indian sports rights has diminished following the Disney-Reliance merger. Industry challenges like time differences, a focus on streaming profitability, and cricket's dominance contributed to Fifa accepting a significantly lower-than-anticipated fee. Businesses should observe if this trend of lower sports rights payouts, especially in emerging markets, persists for major global sporting events.
Read full article at sportspro.com
Enjoy our coverage?
Add StreamingMeme as a preferred source on Google to see more of our streaming news at the top of your Search results.
Add as preferred source