In 2002, with the support of Abdul Rahman Bakhteer, Ten Sports made a splash in the subcontinent’s broadcast market with it. FIFA World Cup. Several other properties followed and the company built a stronger subscriber base than ESPN Star Sports.Before the merger with Star Sports, Jio tried the same with FIFA World in Qatar in 2022. Through JioCinema, the company offered free consumption over OTT (JioCinema).In 2026, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) hopes to tie the knot with Unite8 Sports and Zee5 by acquiring the broadcast rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and beyond.The company’s stock price rose 16.63% in the 10 days leading up to the official announcement. As the tournament, which begins on June 11, draws closer, this growth has doubled to 32.44% at the time of writing.ZEEL had announced its intention to re-enter the sports broadcasting space last year. Earlier this year, steps were taken in this regard and now the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has approved four channels: Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.Unlike 2002 and 2022, the upcoming World Cup to be played in the US, Mexico and Canada faces the major hurdle of difficult time zones, thus seeing little interest from advertisers.
Zee has acquired FIFA’s broadcasting rights till 2034. (ANI)
Unite8 Sports Chief Business Officer, Bavesh Janavlekar claims that there has been positive feedback from advertisers and audiences, who are willing to pay Rs 799 for three months (FIFA World Cup + All Access).To target a diverse audience, the live coverage will be available in Bangla (Zee Bangla Sonar), Malayalam (Zee Keralam), Hindi (Zee Cinema and Unite 8 Sports 1) and English (Unite 8 Sports 2).Apart from FIFA events, the company also has broadcast rights to ILT20 (cricket), Bengal Super League (football) and UP Kabaddi League (kabaddi) and is looking to add more regional sports content to its portfolio while shying away from the biggest buzz: cricket. In an exclusive chat with TimesofIndia.com, Janolikar shares his views on Indian sports, the broadcasting landscape in the country, FIFA World Cup, Cricket Challenge and more.Quotes:Question What are your initial thoughts at this stage?Bavesh: Initial thoughts, I think the response from the market, from the audience, from everybody, it’s been very positive. And, our team is adopting the best strategy that we have now.And, from the audience, it’s been very positive. And then we hope to get a positive response from the entire nation in the future.I think it’s a really strong character. I think the important thing here is that we have a long-term goal with FIFA and it’s not a transaction, it’s a long-term thing with them. Plus, not just the home of soccer, there’s actually a lot of soccer at the national level. And, the large audience it already has. So, this is a good start for us.Q. The launch of the sports channel after almost a decade. How much of a push was it from shareholders?Bavesh: Look, I don’t think it has anything to do with returns. Ours is an entertainment institution, and sports are actually a form of entertainment.It is actually playing a very important role across the board. There’s live sports, there’s live music, there’s live theatre, everything is going to be live across the board.The game definitely has traction. The type of sports investment has also been important, an opportunity.
People walk past a cutout of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kochi, Kerala. (PTI)
Q. For the last two years, India had reached a point where it was just JioStar, right? Sony also has some properties, but when it comes to large-scale properties, it remains a one-horse race. Do you think that will change now with your launch?Bavesh: The sports economy in India is at a turning point. Now, it’s not just in terms of viewership, but it’s also in terms of the experience that we see in many sports today. You know despite all the challenges, we have world class performance, in badminton, we have chess, we always had boxing in the last two years.I think that is an addition to the excellence achieved by our sports people. And, it’s an opportunity to join alternative sports teams, if I may call it that, and grow with it.Our strategy is not about buying media rights but also about building relationships with stakeholders.The way sports are going now, we believe it’s time to explore other sports, which have much stronger potential.
The FIFA World Cup trophy was displayed during the opening ceremony of the International Broadcasting Center in Dallas. (AP)
Q. The time zone for the upcoming FIFA World Cup makes it very difficult to find advertisers, and for a country like ours, advertisers make up a large portion of the money a broadcaster makes when it comes to live sports. And, in this scenario, live play will likely be used less than highlights. How do you deal with this difficulty?Bavesh: I think the strategy is in place. More importantly, we are trying to make the time zone flexible in our favor. We have developed a programming strategy based on life and programming types.Morning of programming, day of programming, highlights, external distribution, market model will be there for time.Advertiser response has been very positive. The fans have also been very positive. And, the whole build is great, the team is working very hard and we are developing more platforms and getting more videos on the channel.
I think football fans will not have to worry about what football they will see in the next 8 years.
Boish Janolikar, Chief Business Officer, Unite 8 Sports
Q. FIFA World Cup is bundled on Z5 (for OTT) as a Rs 799 package. This is very high when compared to other platforms. What is the thought process there?Bavesh: ZEE5 team has studied the platform and the packages you are talking about are not only for FIFA World Cup package. Even then we have to increase it.That (response) has also been very positive. This is going to expand the Zee5 package. We have seen a lot of passion and so we are confident.Question: What is the actual cost of the FIFA World Cup and package?Bavesh: I don’t want to make up numbers (laughs). You see people want to get the rights for the next 8 years and if they are interested enough they want to win the World Cup rights. I guess the ups and downs have been interesting to read too. The reality is that we are going to prepare for the next decade or so.Not just in terms of stories but also the development of football in India. This is a very important thing. I want to see the football team in the world cup very soon.I think football fans will not have to worry about football. Let’s see. in the next 8 years. The FIFA World Cup becomes an ideal anchor property for us. We can ensure a strong relationship with them.
Our focus on cricket will be in line with the principles of financial literacy. I’m committed to all stakeholders so if it makes sense in the long run, we’re going for it.
Boish Janolikar, Chief Business Officer, Unite 8 Sports
Q. You have entered into an 8-year association with FIFA, covering 39 tournaments. Barring perhaps the 2030 FIFA World Cup in Spain and Portugal, which would be a good time zone for India, how much does this make portfolio versus business sense?Bavesh: We intend to develop and we intend to make it popular. We intend to improve the relationship. Not just in terms of viewership, but also on the ground. 8 years is a long time and with a little passion, mindset, we can make it work well.Q. Right now ILT20 is the only property you have that is related to cricket. Do you intend to enter this space or will it be an endeavor where non-cricket entities thrive?Bavesh: I don’t want to compare the two games. According to reports, 80-90% of Indians watch and eat cricket. I don’t want to compare it now. This is not an un-cricket strategy and we have to get into it.But our focus on cricket will be on the principles of financial literacy. I am committed to all the stakeholders so if it makes sense not only as a cricket ownership but in the long term then we are definitely going to go for it.But once it becomes a driving thing, it’s something that’s being worked on, a lot of innovation can happen. Cricket is the heart of India and if we see sense in it, we will go for it.
What do you think about the Rs 799 package for FIFA World Cup on Zee5?
