Zee Entertainment Shares Rise 11% Amid Speculation Over FIFA World Cup Broadcast Rights Deal in India

Zee Entertainment Shares Surge as Company Pursues FIFA World Cup Rights

Shares of Zee Entertainment Enterprises experienced a significant surge in trading on Wednesday, with the company announcing its discussions with FIFA to secure broadcasting and streaming rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India. As per data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Zee Entertainment shares were trading at Rs 91.84, up Rs 9.06 or 10.94 percent, at 12:39 pm.

The company's disclosure of the development on Tuesday came as part of the launch of Unite8 Sports, its dedicated portfolio of sports channels aimed at strengthening its sports broadcasting business. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 11.

FIFA had initially sought around $100 million for the India rights package covering the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups, though discussions later moved closer to a minimum of about $60 million. Notably, Sony Group had held discussions for the rights but ultimately chose not to submit a bid.

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FIFA has already signed broadcast agreements across more than 180 territories globally. India remains one of FIFA's largest viewership markets, with the country accounting for 2.9 percent of the global linear television reach for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, second only to China in overall engagement.

According to figures released by FIFA, India accounted for 2.9 percent of the global linear television reach for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, second only to China in overall engagement. More than 745 million fans in India reportedly followed the tournament across various media platforms, while television viewership in the country touched nearly 84 million, placing India among the top 10 global TV audiences for the event - ahead of several participating nations including Germany, France, and England.