FanCode wins ISL 2025–26 broadcasting rights, KPS Studio to handle production

FanCode submitted a bid of ₹8.62 crore for Package B of ISL 2025-26 media rights.

The long-standing uncertainty surrounding the Indian Super League’s (ISL) broadcast future has finally come to an end, with the All India Football Federation concluding the evaluation process for the ISL 2025–26 media rights.

Following the opening of technical and commercial bids, clarity has emerged on how the league will be delivered to fans for the upcoming season, bringing much-needed relief to clubs, stakeholders and supporters after months of uncertainty.

FanCode, which submitted the highest compliant bid of ₹8.62 crore for Package B, has been awarded the broadcasting rights for the ISL 2025–26 season.

Meanwhile, KPS Studio has secured the world-feed production rights after submitting the lowest valid bid of ₹5.22 crore for Package E.

ISL net revenue will be ₹3.4 crore for the 2025-26 season.

🚨 BREAKING: FanCode wins the broadcasting rights for the ISL 2025–26 season, while KPS Studio secure the rights to produce the world feed.#IndianFootball @KhelNow

— Ashish Negi (@7negiashish) February 2, 2026

“FanCode have already held discussions with television broadcasters to sub-license the TV rights in India, and any additional revenue generated through that arrangement will be shared with the league,” said a source tracking the development.

ISL media rights packages explained

• Package A: World-feed production + linear TV broadcast + digital streaming
• Package B: Linear TV broadcast + digital streaming
• Package C: Linear TV broadcast only
• Package D: Digital streaming only
• Package E: World-feed production only

AIFF floated the media tender in January and followed a Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) model, giving significant weight to technical capability alongside financial strength.

With the Bid Evaluation Committee completing its assessment, the federation has now finalised its broadcast and production partners ahead of the new campaign.

FanCode leads the race as AIFF finalises media partners

FanCode emerged as the most aggressive bidder, submitting financial proposals across Packages A, B and D.

• Package A bid: ₹8.62 crore
  • ₹7 crore for production
  • ₹10 lakh for linear broadcast
  • ₹1.52 crore for digital streaming

However, with AIFF’s production cost capped at ₹9.62 crore, the federation’s net receipt from this package would have been limited to ₹1.62 crore.

• Package B bid (winning bid): ₹8.62 crore
  • ₹10 lakh for linear broadcast
  • ₹8.52 crore for digital streaming

This ultimately made Package B the most viable option for AIFF, but federation will need to pay Rs 5.75 crore to KPS Studio for the production of the matches.

Other bidders and disqualifications

Several other entities reached the financial bid stage, though not all progressed to the final selection:

• Two Circles was disqualified for failing to submit the mandatory ₹5 lakh EMD and for not fully meeting tender requirements.
• Monarch, in partnership with PR Solution, failed to qualify for Stage 2 due to not meeting the net-worth criteria outlined in the RFP.
• ABP Network bid ₹6.89 crore for Packages D and E.
• JioStar quoted ₹5 crore for Package D (digital only).
• Sportzworkz bid ₹9.5 crore for Package E, but lost out to KPS Studio’s lower quote.

ISL broadcast value crash 📉ISL 2024–25• Broadcast deal: ₹275 crore• Matches: 163• Per match value: ₹1.68 croreISL 2025–26• FanCode quote: ₹8.62 crore• Matches: 91• Per match value: ₹0.0947 croreFrom ₹1.68 cr → ₹9.5 lakh per match.That’s the reality.

— Ashish Negi (@7negiashish) February 2, 2026

How AIFF evaluated the bids

Under the revised evaluation mechanism clarified by AIFF, the selection of the ISL 2025–26 broadcast partner will no longer be based on a single combined Quality-and-Cost formula. Instead, commercial bids will first be ranked package-wise, with Packages A, B, C and D ranked in descending order of value, while Package E (world-feed production) will be ranked in ascending order, where the lowest production cost is considered the most favourable. Only bidders who have already qualified in the technical round will be considered at this stage 

Following this, AIFF’s Bid Evaluation Committee will apply a comparative package-combination test. The highest bid for Package A (production + TV + digital) will first be compared against the combined highest bids for Package B + Package E. The combined option will be preferred only if it exceeds the Package A bid by more than 5%. If not, Package A remains the winning option. If the B+E combination clears that threshold, it is then compared against a Package C + D + E combination using the same 5% differential rule. The bidder — or combination of bidders — offering the most favourable value after this stepwise comparison will be declared the selected bidder.

As reported earlier, Zee Sports and Sony Sports did not submit bids despite attending the pre-bid meeting, with AIFF rejecting Sony’s request for an extension.

AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said, “We are pleased to have concluded the ISL media rights process and to partner with FanCode, one of India’s leading sports platforms. FanCode’s focus on accessibility and fan experience aligns with our objective of expanding the league’s footprint and engaging more football fans across the country.”



FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco said, “The Indian Super League is a significant addition to FanCode as it represents the very best of Indian football. With the league’s strong and loyal fan following, we see a big opportunity to elevate how fans experience ISL through reliable, high-quality broadcast and a product designed around modern football audiences. This is in line with Dream Sports group’s overall vision of making sports better.”

Tentative ISL 2025–26 fixtures announced

AIFF has also outlined the tentative structure for the ISL 2025–26 season.

The league will follow a single home-and-away format, featuring 14 clubs and 91 matches. The season is scheduled to kick off on 14 February in Kolkata, with defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant set to host Kerala Blasters FC in the opening fixture.

The season is expected to run until 17 May.

To manage the compressed calendar, most fixtures will be played as double-headers on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, while Mondays and Thursdays are likely to feature single matches. Kickoff times are set for 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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