Zee's Fifa bet: Can football deliver returns in cricket-dominated India?

Football remains a niche sport in India compared to cricket; yet, Zee believes Fifa can help build Zee5, strengthen its sports channels and attract premium advertisers over the next decade

Cricket is the undisputed sporting obsession in India, while football remains a niche sport despite a growing fan base. India is ranked 136th in football, hence qualifying for the Fifa World Cup is not even a realistic hope. Yet Zee Entertainment has acquired rights to broadcast and stream 39 Fifa tournaments in India through 2034, including the Fifa World Cup 2026, Fifa World Cup 2030, Fifa Women's World Cup 2027, and dozens of other Fifa events. The agreement comes just 10 days before the tournament kicks off on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

 

For a broadcaster known for entertainment rather than sports, it is one of its most ambitious sports investments. So, the obvious question is why would Zee make a long-term football bet in a market where cricket overwhelmingly dominates viewer attention? 

 

Zee-Fifa deal 

Media reports have estimated the value of the Fifa-Zee deal at roughly $30-35 million; however, financial terms have not been officially disclosed. Zee will broadcast the tournaments across its OTT platform Zee5 and the newly launched sports channels Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.

 

In the official announcement, Zee Chief Executive Officer Punit Goenka said the partnership reflects the company's commitment to bringing world-class sporting action to Indian audiences and expanding its sports offering. Fifa President Gianni Infantino described India as an important strategic market for global football.

 

The Fifa deal also marks Zee's return to sports broadcasting after nearly a decade, when it exited the segment following the sale of Ten Sports to Sony in 2016 and has since remained largely focused on entertainment and streaming.

 

Previous Fifa rights holders in India have largely treated the tournament as a standalone event. Sony Pictures Networks broadcast the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while Viacom18 aired the 2022 edition in Qatar across Sports18 and JioCinema. Unlike those deals, Zee's agreement covers 39 Fifa tournaments through 2034, signalling a longer-term commitment to building a football ecosystem.

 

Industry estimates suggest Zee paid about $30-35 million, compared with roughly $60 million for Viacom18's 2022 rights cycle. According to experts, the lower rights cost reflects both the broader multi-event structure of the deal and concerns around the less favourable North American time zones for the 2026 tournament, which could make monetisation more challenging in the Indian market. 

Is there a big enough football audience in India? 

The success of the deal ultimately depends on whether football has evolved into a meaningful media property in India. According to Prashant Joglekar, lead sports business analyst at SportsBiznet, a sports business consulting and digital community platform, India's football audience is far larger than many industry estimates suggest.

 

"Depending on the methodology used, our football universe could be in the range of 300-350 million consumers and continues to grow," Joglekar said.

 

He pointed to the Fifa World Cup 2022, which reportedly generated a cumulative reach of more than 110 million viewers across television and digital platforms in India. "Beyond Fifa, properties such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the Indian Super League have collectively built a meaningful football ecosystem in the country," he added.

 

Football's appeal, however, is not primarily about scale. According to Joglekar, football audiences are disproportionately concentrated among Gen Z and younger millennials, urban consumers, affluent households and digitally engaged viewers.

 

"Cricket delivers mass India. Football delivers urban India," he said.

 

That distinction matters because advertisers increasingly value audience quality rather than sheer audience size.

 

Santosh N, managing partner at D&P Advisory, a valuation services provider, told Business Standard that while football enjoys strong support in Kerala, West Bengal, Goa and parts of the Northeast, much of the audience elsewhere comes only from younger and relatively affluent consumers exposed to global sports through schools, digital platforms and international content.

 

As a result, football may not attract every advertiser.

 

A mass-market soap brand may derive limited value from football audiences, he said, but categories targeting premium consumers may find them highly relevant. That makes football commercially meaningful despite remaining much smaller than cricket. 

What is Zee's bigger strategy? 

Joglekar said premium sports rights are increasingly judged by their ability to acquire subscribers, reduce churn and deepen engagement rather than solely by advertising revenue.

 

"Consumers may not subscribe to an OTT platform solely for Fifa, but Fifa often serves as the trigger event that brings users into the ecosystem," he said.

 

He believes the acquisition is fundamentally a digital-era play. Football audiences globally are increasingly consuming matches through streaming platforms, connected televisions, mobile devices, highlights and social media engagement.

 

Santosh agrees that on-demand viewing could become important. While live matches may face time-zone challenges, fans who miss overnight games are likely to watch highlights and catch-up content the following day through Zee5.

 

That could improve subscriber acquisition and engagement for the platform.

 

Sports network building

 

The deal also serves another purpose: helping Zee build a credible sports business. Recently launched Unite8 Sports channels require a pipeline of live content to attract viewers and distributors. According to Santosh, sports channels need a meaningful share of live programming to drive tune-ins and subscriptions. Without live events, sports channels risk becoming repositories of archive content.

 

For Zee, Fifa provides a globally recognised property around which a broader sports strategy can be built.

 

Joglekar believes the strategic value extends beyond immediate revenue. Premium sports rights can strengthen negotiations with cable operators, DTH providers and connected-TV platforms. They also help reposition Zee in the minds of advertisers and consumers.

 

Joglekar further said that the investment is primarily advertising-led. "The advertising economics of a single Fifa World Cup would rarely justify a long-duration rights commitment extending through 2034," he said.

 

Instead, he sees three objectives:

• First, building a differentiated sports portfolio.
• Second, strengthening Zee5's digital economics.
• Third, attracting younger audiences that Zee's entertainment channels have historically struggled to reach.

 

The broader backdrop is a sports rights market increasingly dominated by a handful of players.

 

Cricket remains the most powerful property in Indian media. The latest IPL rights cycle alone was valued at more than ₹48,000 crore, which was about ₹16,000 crore in the previous cycle, illustrating how expensive premier cricket properties have become. As a result, broadcasters seeking scale outside cricket are increasingly looking at alternative sports properties.

 

For Zee, football may represent a more affordable entry point into sports than competing head-on for premium cricket rights. According to experts, it only needs Fifa to help attract a valuable audience, deepen engagement on Zee5, strengthen its sports channels and create a sustainable sports business over the next decade.