Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) has announced a significant foray into dedicated sports broadcasting with the launch of Unite8 Sports, a four-channel portfolio, while simultaneously entering negotiations with FIFA for broadcast and streaming rights to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India.
The Unite8 Sports portfolio will comprise four channels – Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi, and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English. ZEEL has submitted the requisite regulatory applications for the channels’ launch. The portfolio is designed to carry a broad content slate spanning football, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling, boxing, and combat sports, catering to diverse audience preferences across the country.
To lead the initiative, ZEEL has appointed Bavesh Janavlekar as Chief Business Officer of Unite8 Sports. Janavlekar, who currently oversees the company’s Marathi movies cluster across linear and studio businesses, will take on this additional responsibility as the sports vertical scales operations.
The launch builds on ZEEL’s existing, albeit limited, sports broadcasting presence, where sporting events have previously been aired across its entertainment channels. The company positions this expansion as a strategic move to diversify its content portfolio and build scalable, long-term value in a rapidly growing segment.
Janavlekar noted that sports consumption in India is accelerating, driven by rising demand for live, appointment-based content and growing audience affinity for multiple sporting formats – making a robust linear presence both timely and strategically sound for the broadcaster.
