FIFA officials visit India over rights

FIFA media-rights officials were in India this week trying to break a deadlock over television and streaming rights for the 2026 World Cup, according to three sources cited by Reuters. The tournament begins on June 11, but FIFA has still not announced a broadcaster for India, one of the world’s biggest sports markets. The impasse has centered on price, the sources said, with Indian media companies resisting FIFA’s valuation. FIFA said it had signed broadcast agreements in more than 180 territories and that talks in India were continuing but confidential. ### How unusual is it for a major World Cup market to still have no broadcaster this close to kickoff? June 11 is the opening day of the 2026 World Cup, leaving less than a month for any India deal to be completed, technical systems to be set up and ad inventory to be sold, Reuters reported. FIFA has already struck media-rights agreements in more than 180 territories, making India a notable unresolved market at this stage. (sg.news.yahoo.com) India mattered to FIFA at the last men’s World Cup even without its national team in the event. India accounted for 2.9% of global linear TV reach at the 2022 World Cup, Reuters reported, citing FIFA-related audience data. ### Where have the negotiations broken down? Reliance-Disney, India’s biggest media company, offered about $20 million for the rights, Reuters reported. (sg.news.yahoo.com) FIFA had initially sought $100 million and was later looking for around $60 million, according to the same report. Sony, another major broadcaster, has refrained from bidding, Reuters said. Business Today, citing court filings tied to a separate legal challenge, reported that FIFA had at one stage cut the asking price for the India package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups to about $35 million after failing to attract serious interest. That account points to the same underlying problem: broadcasters did not match FIFA’s valuation. (sg.news.yahoo.com) ### Why are Indian broadcasters reluctant to pay up? North America will host the 2026 World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and FIFA’s official schedule shows matches running from June 11 through July 19 across 16 host cities. For Indian broadcasters, that means many games will be played at times that are less attractive for prime-time television and digital advertising in India, according to the Reuters report summarized by multiple outlets. (businesstoday.in) India has about 85 million football fans, according to a 2024 Deloitte and Google report cited by Reuters, but the sport still trails cricket’s 492 million fans in the country. That gap affects how broadcasters assess advertising returns and subscriber demand for a month-long tournament played largely outside Indian prime time. (fifa.com) ### Who is FIFA talking to in India now? Reuters reported that FIFA’s visiting executives were in India this week, but the exact agenda and the identities of all meeting participants were not clear. It was also not clear whether FIFA was meeting the Reliance-Disney joint venture directly, Reuters said. Reliance-Disney declined to comment to Reuters. (sg.news.yahoo.com) FIFA said in a statement to Reuters that discussions in India regarding the sale of media rights were ongoing and “must remain confidential at this stage.” The governing body did not publicly identify a deadline for concluding the process. ### Could India’s public broadcaster still become part of the solution? May 13 brought a separate pressure point when the Delhi High Court issued notice to India’s central government and Prasar Bharati while hearing a petition seeking to ensure the World Cup is shown in India through public platforms such as Doordarshan and DD Sports, Business Today reported. (sg.news.yahoo.com) The petition argued that the tournament had been notified as a sporting event of national importance under India’s Sports Broadcasting Signals law. The court matter does not itself create a commercial rights deal, but it adds urgency as the tournament approaches. The case was expected to be heard further in the following days, Business Today reported. ### What happens next before the first match? (businesstoday.in) June 11 is now the key date. FIFA’s next step in India is to conclude talks with a broadcaster or platform in time for distribution, marketing and advertising sales before the opening match in Mexico City, according to FIFA’s published tournament schedule and Reuters’ account of the negotiations. (fifa.com) (businesstoday.in)