India’s leading media company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), made a big bet by bagging the rights to broadcast the FIFA 2026 World Cup in the Indian subcontinent.
It launched two linear sports channels – Unite8 Sports 1 and 2 – to telecast the matches live, while upgraded its Zee5 platform to stream the matches digitally.
All Zee5 subscribers have to purchase a dedicated FIFA pack on the OTT platform to stream football World Cup matches. The packs are priced at Rs 799 for 3 months and Rs 1699 for a year.
The around Rs 300 crore investment for the eight-year FIFA deal is already paying off. ZEEL has recorded more than 100 million viewers across its linear TV, digital and social media platforms during the opening weekend of what is possibly the world’s biggest sporting tournament.
And now, the company has announced that 15% of the revenue that it will generate from subscriptions for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be contributed towards the upliftment of Indian football.
Zee has said that it is empowering every Zee5 subscriber watching football on its platform to contribute towards identifying, training and uplifting young talent from across the country.
As part of the initiative, Zee will partner with several organisations, including the All India Football Federation (AIFF), to support talent at the grassroots level. These partnerships will be forged at state and district levels as well other than at the national level.
Raksha Khadse, the Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, has welcomed Zee’s move.
“I congratulate ZEE for taking a commendable step towards strengthening Indian football by dedicating a substantial portion of the subscription revenue generated during the FIFA World Cup 2026 season towards the development of football across India. This initiative aligns with the larger vision of transforming India into a global sporting powerhouse,” the minister wrote on X.
“ZEE’s commitment to nurturing young football talent and creating scalable league formats across cities, districts and states will further strengthen the pathway from grassroots participation to elite sporting excellence. The journey towards India’s Olympic dream requires collective efforts from the Government, sports bodies, corporates and communities. Initiatives like these will provide our young athletes with greater opportunities, better platforms and the confidence to compete at the highest global stage,” the minister added.