Zee Entertainment, the Indian media enterprise, has acquired media rights in the country to Italian soccer’s top-flight Serie A, ending the league’s blackout in the prominent South Asian market.
This multi-year agreement spans the next five campaigns, and includes not only the top-flight Serie A, but also the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana knockout cup competitions.
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Live games, highlights, shoulder content, and ancillary programming will all be disseminated across Zee’s range of four sports-focused linear channels, which are operated under the ‘Unite8’ brand, and the Zee 5 OTT service.
Beyond India, these rights will cover Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and the Maldives, effectively covering the entire Indian subcontinent (besides Pakistan).
Across the middle part of 2026, Zee has made a strong re-entry push into the sports market in India, which it exited in 2024, following the fallout from its failed ICC cricket sublicensing agreement with Star.
The re-entry coincided with Zee securing the rights to the marquee 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer competition, which is currently ongoing.
That agreement also includes the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027, and a host of other national team tournaments including the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups in the under-17 and under-20 youth categories, the FIFA Futsal World Cups, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup annual club tournament (up to 2030).
Zee also secured rights for German soccer’s top-flight Bundesliga, also over a five-year term, matching the Serie A commitment, and ensuring Zee holds rights to two of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ soccer leagues.
This means that Serie A joins a soccer portfolio at Zee that already includes 39 FIFA events until 2034, and Bundesliga action.
Speaking on the deal, Zee chief business officer for Unite8 Sports, Bavesh Janavlekar, said: “At 'Z', our commitment is to build a robust football ecosystem that brings Indian fans closer to the sport through premium content and a quality viewing experience. The addition of key global properties like Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana to our portfolio is a firm reflection of the scale and passion of football across the country.
“As one of the most respected leagues in football, Serie A brings together iconic clubs and talent that have captivated generations of fans. We are thrilled to present all the action and intensity of the league on Zee 5 and Unite8 channels, offering consumers a truly differentiated destination for global football.
Janavlekar was appointed to his role in charge of the programming unit back in early June after Zee confirmed its re-entry into the sports market.
The Unite8 channels are predicated on two offerings, ‘Unite8 Sports 1’ with English-language coverage and 'Unite8 Sports 2’ with coverage in Hindi. Both offerings have a standard and high-definition channel, bringing the total to four channels.
For Serie A, this agreement represents the end of a blackout in the market that has lasted since the collapse of Dubai-based transmedia company Galaxy Racer, its previous partner in the market, in August 2025.
