Sony Pictures Network (SPN), the Indian pay-TV broadcaster, has struck a sub-licensing deal with streaming service FanCode for the linear TV rights to the country’s Indian Super League domestic soccer top-flight.
Through this deal, SPN will showcase Indian Super League (ISL) fixtures live on its Sony Sports Ten 2 channel.
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These rights not only cover India on an exclusive basis, but also span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, all on a non-exclusive basis.
Speaking on the deal, FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco said: “This partnership is part of our commitment to ensure the widest possible distribution for ISL. By combining Sony Pictures Networks’ television expertise with FanCode’s digital-first approach, we are creating a strong multi-platform ecosystem that guarantees fans can catch every moment of the action."
SPN chief revenue and business head for sports and international Rajesh Kaul added: “It is a moment of pride for Sony Pictures Networks to welcome the Indian Super League to the Home of Football in India. Nearly 100 million viewers watched football on our sports channels in 2025, underlining the growing appetite for the sport in the country.
“This partnership brings the excitement of homegrown football talent and fierce rivalries to millions of fans across the country, while reaffirming our commitment to expanding the football ecosystem in India.”
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By GlobalDataCurrent SPN soccer rights include those to European soccer’s UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA European Championships 2028, UEFA Nations League, Germany’s top-flight Bundesliga, and England’s FA Cup, while domestically it also showcases India’s annual Durand Cup tournament.
The agreement began with the February 14 kick-off fixture, a 2-0 win for Mohun Bagan SG over Kerala Blasters, and will continue for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, which was suspended in July before it was even scheduled to begin, and will now run on an abbreviated season through May 17.
Plans for the shortened concept cover 13 ISL games each, 91 in all, alongside three Indian Super Cup games per team, making it 16 games per team.
The ISL has been suspended since July, when Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the operator and commercial partner of the competition, stepped back from its role.
This meant that there was no master rights agreement for a promoter and organizer of the competition, meaning the governing All-India Football Federation (AIFF) had to run a domestic media rights tender itself.
That tender process, protracted in itself, was eventually won by FanCode, which picked up exclusive global rights, in a deal unveiled earlier this month.
The service beat six other bidders, including previous rightsholder JioStar, for domestic linear and digital rights for the 2025-26 season, while Kaleidoscope Production Services (KPS Studios) has been awarded the production rights for the competition’s world feed.
The platform reportedly bid 8.62 crore rupees ($939,000) for the season, which is significantly less than the 275 crore rupees ($29.98 million) per season paid by media heavyweight Jiostar over the last two seasons, due to the ongoing operational issues suffered by the AIFF governing body.
