India‘s Zee Entertainment Enterprises has unveiled a four-channel linear sports portfolio under the Unite8 Sports banner and confirmed it is in discussions with FIFA over broadcast and streaming rights to the 2026 soccer World Cup for India, with the tournament set to kick off June 11.
The new portfolio consists of Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi, and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English. The channels will carry soccer, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling and combat sports including boxing, among other disciplines. The company said regulatory applications for the launches have been filed.
Bavesh Janavlekar, who has overseen Zee’s Marathi-language movies cluster across linear and studio operations, will take on an additional role as chief business officer of Unite8 Sports.
“In a vast country like India, there is rising demand for sports which are global in appeal yet rooted within the heartland. Sports consumption across the country is accelerating rapidly, driven by an increasing demand for live, appointment-based content and rising audience affinity for multiple sporting formats. Building a robust presence in the linear ecosystem with four channels aligns with our broader strategy of diversifying the content portfolio and building scalable, value-accretive businesses that capitalize on emerging growth opportunities,” Janavlekar said.
