The search for a domestic broadcast partner for the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) soccer competition has officially been launched.
A request for proposals (RFP) has been issued by the 14 ISL clubs, in conjunction with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) governing body.
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The RFP was posted online on July 25, with a deadline for bid submissions of August 8. The technical element of the bids will be opened on August 8, with technical presentations by the bidders (if necessary) an option after that, before the commercial elements are opened on August 10.
The relevant RFP documents will only be made available to entities that pay the AIFF a non-refundable fee equivalent to just under $2,100 – this is standard practice for tender processes covering sports rights in India.
The tender features two packages – Package A gives the bidder the live production rights for broadcast coverage of the ISL next season, while Package B entails those production rights remaining with the clubs themselves, and the bidder not getting involved.
Both packages, meanwhile, contain broadcast rights across digital as well as linear platforms.
This tender has been launched following a fundamental shift in the commercial running of the competition, having been agreed and unveiled earlier this month.
The 14 clubs themselves now have more control of the ISL's commercial rights, meaning the AIFF is no longer completely in charge of sponsorship and broadcast rights sales and distribution.
This change in approach for the ISL comes after a disastrous and tumultuous 2025-26 season, with the issues having begun in mid-2025 when Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the previous operator and commercial partner of the competition, stepped back from its role.
This led to the AIFF being forced to search for new commercial partners and broadcasters (a domestic deal was eventually done for a truncated season with streaming service FanCode), and to a substantially delayed 2025-26 campaign.
The Indian soccer body was also unsuccessful in running a tender searching for a new ISL operator with a 15-year mandate – the tender failed to attract a single bidder.
The consequences of the chaos included City Football Group, the multi-club ownership organization that controls English giants Manchester City, among others, divesting from its investment in the Mumbai City FC club back in December.
Outside of certain strongholds, such as the Bengal region, soccer's profile in India is low.
