Zee secures FIFA media rights in India through 2034 period.
Rights package covers 39 football events across television and digital.
Deal strengthens Zee's sports broadcasting ambitions amid streaming competition globally.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises has secured the media rights for a slate of FIFA events in India through 2034, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, reported The Economic Times. This will mark one of the company’s biggest bets yet in the sports broadcasting space, the media giant said on May 1.
Zee will bring 39 global football events to Indian audiences over the next eight years across its digital and television platforms under the partnership with FIFA. The rights package includes the FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cups, FIFA Futsal World Cups and the FIFA International Cup and documentary content around these tournaments.
1 May 2026
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Zee’s acquisition follows a long tussle for the marquee football properties. A Reuters report said FIFA had initially sought around $100mn for the India broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups before lowering its expectations to minimum $60mn.
Entertainment Share Rally
Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ announcement on May 1 led to the surge in the shares by as much as 6.4% following the announcement. The stock later pared some gains but remained firmly in the green, trading 5.8% higher at 98.51 at 2:38 pm on May 1.
The agreement also gave the broadcaster rights to several future FIFA tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2030 and multiple men’s, women’s and youth competition.
India remains one of the governing body's most important markets in terms of audience reach. FIFA data showed that the country accounted for 2.9% of the global linear television audience for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, ranking behind only China in overall engagement.
Football Audience Growth
Sports broadcasting is a major growth area for media companies looking to lure advertisers and digital subscribers. The 2022 FIFA World Cup had a cumulative global audience on television, digital and social platforms of over 5 billion, FIFA said.
Long-term rights acquisitions are viewed as strategic assets by industry analysts, allowing broadcasters to build viewer loyalty and strengthen their position in a more competitive streaming market.
