FIFA, the international football governing body, is facing a significant challenge in Indixqa. Despite reducing the media rights price for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups from $100 million to $35 million, there are still no takers. This situation reflects a broader correction in the sports broadcasting market.
The slowdown in interest comes after consolidation among broadcasters and ongoing monetisation challenges. JioStar, currently holding these rights, values them at around $25 million for both editions. In contrast, Viacom18 paid $62 million for the 2022 World Cup matches rights.
Currency volatility has also played a role as it increases broadcaster costs for dollar-denominated rights payouts. Furthermore, structural factors such as reduced competitive intensity due to mergers like that of Star India and Viacom18 have left fewer serious bidders for premium sports rights.
Sony Pictures Networks India is taking a cautious approach towards sports acquisitions due to profitability pressures and strategic shifts towards entertainment content.
Limited appetite from other players
Other players like Dream Sports-owned FanCode and Warner Bros Discovery-owned Eurosport have shown limited appetite for high-value deals. As such global bodies like FIFA are largely reliant on JioStar which dominates sports broadcasting through Star Sports and JioHotstar.
FIFA has also approached Zee Entertainment Enterprises which is preparing to launch its own sports channels while currently broadcasting International League T20 matches. Heavy spending on cricket properties has constrained investment in non-cricket properties with broadcasters committing over $10 billion between 2022-23 to cricket events including Indian Premier League (IPL) and International Cricket Council (ICC) events.
Another constraint is limited free commercial time during football broadcasts compared to cricket which restricts advertising inventory - an important revenue source given that Indian sports broadcasting heavily relies on advertising.
Football's fragmented audience in India
Despite football being the second most-followed sport in India, its audience remains fragmented. This fragmentation limits mass appeal and monetisation opportunities. The late-night and early-morning World Cup timings are also likely to be unfavourable for Indian audiences, further reducing advertising potential. The 2022 World Cup marked a digital shift with online viewership surpassing television for the first time in India. However, this was aided by free access to JioCinema which has since merged with Disney+ Hotstar to form JioHotstar.
According to WPP’s Sporting Nation report, sports media spending in India totalled Rs 9,571 crore ($1.3 billion) in 2025 with cricket accounting for Rs 9,093 crore ($1.2 billion). Each rights cycle typically spans three seasons and after peaking at $145 million for 2013-16, the value fell consistently over subsequent cycles reaching an estimated $65 million for the current cycle (2025-28), including a marketing commitment of $11 million.
FIFA's struggle to sell media rights reflects broader challenges within the Indian sports broadcasting market - from currency volatility and consolidation among broadcasters to heavy investment in cricket properties and fragmented football audiences.
