BENGALURU, June 1 (Reuters) - FIFA has struck a deal with India's Zee Entertainment to broadcast the 2026 World Cup in the country, ending a months-long standoff over the tournament's availability in one of the last major markets where rights remained unsold.
Financial terms were not disclosed. FIFA had initially sought about $100 million for the India package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups before slashing its asking price to $60 million, Reuters previously reported.
The deal gives Zee a toehold in India's sports broadcast market, where Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar holds rights ranging from the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to the English Premier League.
The agreement comes just 10 days before the tournament kicks off on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Shares of Zee were around 7% higher on the day after the announcement.
TIME ZONE DIFFERENCES
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's JioStar, which aired the 2022 World Cup through its predecessor Viacom18, had offered about $20 million for the rights but was rejected by FIFA, Reuters previously reported.
Sony, which held rights for the 2014 and 2018 tournaments, held discussions but did not bid.
Viacom18 paid about $60 million for rights to the 2022 World Cup, which was hosted in Qatar in time zones far more favourable for Indian audiences. Most of this year's matches will be screened late at night in India due to the time difference, something that dampened broadcaster appetite and complicated FIFA's sales efforts.
Monday's deal covers 39 FIFA events over eight years through 2034, also including the Women's World Cup in 2027, according to a joint statement from FIFA and Zee.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra; Additional reporting by Nishit Navin; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
