India's Zee Entertainment is in talks with FIFA to stream and broadcast the 2026 World Cup in the country, the company said in a statement on Tuesday, without providing financial details.

The announcement comes as negotiations between a Reliance-Disney joint venture and the football body are reportedly deadlocked, just weeks before the tournament kicks off on June 11. FIFA had initially sought $100 million for broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in India, but later lowered its demand to no less than about $60 million, according to Reuters.

The expected amount still far exceeds the $20 million offered by Reliance-Disney, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance. Sony also held talks but decided not to make an offer for FIFA rights in India.

FIFA has concluded agreements with broadcasters in more than 180 territories globally, it said previously. Zee Entertainment disclosed its talks with FIFA as part of its launch of Unite8 Sports, a dedicated portfolio of sports channels to strengthen its sports offerings.

India accounted for 2.9 percent of the global linear TV reach of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, trailing only China in overall engagement figures, with more than 745 million fans following the action across all media platforms in the country, according to FIFA data. In television viewing numbers, India was among the top 10 countries – ahead of World Cup participants Germany, France and England – with nearly 84 million viewers.

Source: www.aljazeera.com