Zee & Sony Sports in direct talks with ISL clubs over media rights

ISL will have a club-led model from the 2026-27 season.

Indian football and Indian Super League (ISL) hitting a hurdle isn’t something new and happens almost every week. This again happened recently when the Indian Super League (ISL) hit another hurdle in a transition phase to a club-led model as the league’s media rights attracted very limited interest from broadcasters.

Only one bid was submitted for the next four-season media rights cycle, due to which the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have started exploring alternate ways and methods, opening direct talks with major broadcasters in India.

Khel Now understands that the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have opened direct channels of communication with Zee and Sony Sports, as both parties have shown their keen interest and are most likely to make official offers for the Indian Super League (ISL) media rights for the upcoming cycle.

Google & YouTube as potential options

Google has also become part of this conversation, informing the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs how they can support the league if the matches are made available live on YouTube.

With YouTube already being an established world video platform, the move can offer the league a different but interesting way of reaching viewers, mainly those who consume sports primarily through digital platforms, which is now the case for most people.

This move could provide the ISL clubs with wider visibility and reach, with an opportunity to connect with existing and new viewers beyond the traditional broadcast system.

Google’s involvement adds another dimension to the ongoing media rights situation and hopefully the problem gets solved soon and the league gets a media partner for the next four-year cycle.

Also Read: Nivia retains ISL ball rights after beating competition from two foreign brands

Major agreements secured under the new club-led model so far

While one thing can’t be disagreed that the media rights are, as of now, an issue for the Indian Super League (ISL) under the new club-led model, there are multiple major agreements that have been secured so far under this new model.

As exclusively confirmed by Khel Now earlier, the Indian Super League (ISL) and EA Sports agreed on a new four-year licensing deal, making sure that the league continues to feature in EA Sports’ FC games.

The league also agreed on a four-year deal with Sportradar worth approximately ₹57 crore, keeping Sportradar the ISL’s Data and integrity partner till the year 2030.

Along with this, the league has also secured another commercial partnership, extending Nivia Sports’ association with the league. The two parties signed a new two-year deal, which will see Nivia Sports continue as the league’s ball and equipment partner.

Now, a big thing still remains in the form of media rights and hopefully this situation also gets solved soon.

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