MUMBAI: Shrachi Sports Entertainment Network (SSEN), a dedicated sports OTT platform, has placed a bid for the broadcasting rights of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030, valued at roughly 2 million dollars (Rs 18-20 crore). If successful, SSEN intends to stream both tournaments entirely free to viewers in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.
The bid signals a shift in sports broadcasting strategy, prioritising accessibility over subscription revenue. “This is more than a business move. It is a commitment to inclusivity and reshaping football consumption in the region. By offering the FIFA World Cup free to fans, we are democratising access and laying the foundation for a long-term legacy,” said SSEN chairman Tamal Ghosal.
SSEN already streams marquee events including the Calcutta Football League and the I-League, and is the first Indian platform to cover the Women’s Bundesliga and the German Handball Bundesliga. The network’s move positions India as an emerging hub in the global football narrative while placing fan access at the centre of its strategy.
MUMBAI: From boots to brand play, Sandesh Jhingan is lining up a new formation. Indian football’s defensive rock, Sandesh Jhingan, is now dribbling into new territory brand management. The 31-year-old centre-back has signed with IOS Sports and Entertainment, marking a strategic off-field move aimed at amplifying his brand presence and widening his impact beyond the beautiful game.
Jhingan, currently with FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), brings over a decade of international experience to the IOS stable. Since making his debut for India in 2013, the Chandigarh-born defender has racked up more than 50 caps for the national side, captained India in marquee tournaments like the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and has become a household name in Indian football.
Known for his no-nonsense defending, aerial dominance, and vocal leadership, Jhingan has turned out for ISL heavyweights such as Kerala Blasters, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and Chennaiyin FC. His brief but landmark stint with Croatian club HNK Šibenik in 2021 made him one of the rare Indian players to play in Europe, adding an international edge to his résumé.
He was named the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year for 2020–21, further cementing his status as one of Asia’s top defenders.
On signing with IOS, Jhingan said, “I’m excited to join the IOS Sports and Entertainment family and work with a team that has such an impressive track record with India’s top athletes. Their expertise feels like the perfect assist as I look to amplify my story and connect with more people at a deeper level.”
IOS, known for managing India’s sporting icons like Vijender Singh, Mirabai Chanu, Anju Bobby George, Lovlina Borgohain, and Manpreet Singh, sees Jhingan as a valuable addition to its football playbook.
“Sandesh represents everything we look for in an athlete exceptional talent, unwavering dedication, and the ability to inspire others,” said IOS COO Rahul Trehan. “His addition strengthens our commitment to supporting India’s sporting heroes across all disciplines.”
The partnership aims to elevate Jhingan’s brand through holistic management from endorsement deals and media visibility to community initiatives and content-driven storytelling. With football gaining ground as a serious sport-business in India, Jhingan’s play with IOS could be just the pivot the sport needs.
After all, he’s long been the last line of defence now, he’s ready to be the face of a new offensive.
MUMBAI: Mayank Dayal, a seasoned sports marketing whiz, has made a cracking move, transitioning from the dusty pitches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the sun-kissed shores of Los Angeles. He’s stepped into the role of business head – Los Angeles Knight Riders, a full-time gig with Knight Riders Sports, effective June 2025. This chap knows his onions when it comes to brand building and fan frenzy, having honed his skills across two decades in global sports, media, and entertainment.
Just five months ago, Dayal was the head of marketing for Gujarat Titans, where he was instrumental in driving brand growth and whipping up fan engagement for the IPL franchise. Before his stint with the Titans, he was a key player at Sony Sports for nearly three years, leading award-winning campaigns for behemoths like the Fifa World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Olympics, and even the WWE. Talk about a versatile player!
His career journey reads like a thrilling sports documentary. Dayal spent over six years at Sony Pictures Networks India, climbing the ranks to head – marketing, sports, after a four-year stint as associate vice president. Prior to that, he spent a considerable nine years and one month at Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd, where he held various marketing leadership roles, including senior manager – marketing and director, marketing for channels like Comedy Central and Vh1.
Dayal’s early innings saw him at Star India Pvt Ltd for nearly three years, where he served as an assistant manager and assistant manager – brand solutions, crafting innovative brand integrations. He also had a four-year, five-month spell as a manager – major accounts at Star News, where he was even awarded “The Best Sales Performer.” His foundational experience includes a brief stint as a trainee – marketing at Bharat Petroleum Co. Ltd and an executive trainee at Linterland – Rural.
With a deep understanding of audience insights and digital media fandom, Dayal is all set to knock it out of the park for the Los Angeles Knight Riders. It seems his career is always playing on the front foot, driving brand, fan, and revenue growth in the global sports arena.
MUMBAI: No more frantic googling or last-minute scrambles for the remote—FanCode is here to kick off your football dreams.
Whether it’s the roar of the crowd, the magic of iconic FIFA goals, or behind-the-scenes stories of champions, India’s premier sports streaming platform is putting the world’s most beautiful game at your fingertips. With the launch of the FIFA+ Zone and a new FAST channel, FanCode promises to transform living rooms into stadiums, bringing fans exclusive interviews, jaw-dropping documentaries, and timeless match moments from FIFA tournaments, including the electrifying FIFA World Cups.
It’s game time, and the only decision left for fans is which beer to crack open as their favorite team smashes victory home.
With the football fanbase in India surpassing 305 million, this launch aims to bridge the gap between growing fandom and premium football content. FanCode’s 24/7 FIFA+ Zone will immerse fans in engaging non-live football programming, making it accessible for free on the FanCode app (iOS and Android).
The FIFA+ Zone will showcase content tailored for Indian fans, including:
. FIFA+ Originals: Exclusive documentaries, behind-the-scenes stories, and interviews featuring the biggest names in global football.
. Archival Matches: Classic encounters from FIFA World Cups, significant tournaments, and top women’s matches.
. New Content: Fresh programming will continue to roll out through 2025 and beyond.
FanCode co-founder, Prasana Krishnan expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, “This collaboration with FIFA+ will give Indian fans access to best-in-class non-live football programming. The passion for the game has grown substantially in the last few years with more than 305 million football fans in the country, but the content served to them hasn’t kept pace with the fandom. With some of the top leagues and players already on FanCode, this addition will further strengthen our football offerings.”
FIFA+ Zone will complement FanCode’s robust football lineup, which already features Real Madrid TV – the 24/7 channel of European champions Real Madrid – alongside key events such as the Carabao Cup, Copa del Rey, AFCON, and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
This partnership underscores FanCode’s commitment to delivering a world-class football experience, blending historic matches, exclusive storytelling, and contemporary content for fans across the country.
Mumbai: Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Adidas unveils the next chapter of its “Impossible is Nothing” story with its global football family. The brand kicks off a month-long campaign with a family reunion like no other, featuring Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Achraf Hakimi, Son Heung-Min, Jude Bellingham, Pedro ‘Pedri’ González López, Serge Gnabry, and Stormzy.
The playful spot celebrates the unified joy of football, which brings together players and fans from all over the world. With a selection of the world’s greatest football stars unexpectedly reuniting and displaying their excitement and unique pre-tournament preparations, the film is inspired by the attitude that “when football is everything, impossible is nothing.”
Also featuring and narrated by football superfan Stormzy, the film combines football culture, world cup nostalgia, and unique player personalities—all with a shared love for the game.
Designed to be watched again and again, each scene features subtle nods to memorable moments, players, and places to help build anticipation for the endless possibilities of the month ahead. These include framed family photos, fridge magnets, postcards, and cross-stitch wall hangings, plus so much more.
Further to this, with a full month of unmissable moments undoubtedly ahead, Adidas will continue to celebrate its global football family throughout the tournament with iconic player moments, global social media activations, and the creation of the ‘Al Rihla Arena’ – an official Adidas fan zone on-the-ground in Qatar. The immersive experience will give fans the opportunity to watch every game live, test their skills on the specially designed pitch, be in with a chance of meeting their favourite football legends, and capture a range of content through augmented reality.
Speaking about the reunion, Adidas vice president of global brand communications Florian Alt commented, “There is a rare moment, once every couple of years, at the beginning of the World Cup when it truly feels like impossible is nothing. A time when players and fans come together, united by the belief that they will bring the trophy home.”
“During the next month, we’ll see new players break onto the scene, an underdog beat the odds, unbelievable goals, and widespread celebrations taking place across the globe. It’s precisely that spirit that our campaign hopes to inspire in fans around the world,” added Alt.
Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports has announced an expansive content lineup offering viewers compelling storytelling around famous rivalries, revered heroes, seminal moments, and the stories of ardent FIFA World Cup fans in the run-up to the 2022 edition, which will be held in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December.
The programming on Sports18-1 and JioCinema began with FIFA World Cup 2022: Road To Qatar, a 16-episode show profiling the 32 teams qualified for the World Cup. Through shows like Football Goal’D Super 16 and The Fantastic Lives of Footballers, the build-up programming includes the on-field and off-field exploits of World Cup superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and many more.
Viacom18 Sports will provide a platform for die-hard football fans by producing original content. Flavours of Football in India will take viewers through unheard and extraordinary fan stories from the country’s football hotbeds. Football Adda, a Bengali chat show centred on the FIFA World Cup, will give state fans a platform to support their favourite teams and players.
Viacom18 Sports content head Siddharth Sharma said, “The FIFA World Cup is a total communal experience, and we want to offer content that brings everyone across the country together to enjoy the world’s greatest show.”
He further said, “Our programming across five languages will cater to a wider audience and complement the never-seen-before extensive live coverage of the event on JioCinema, which is now available to download for all telecom subscribers.”
The likes of Patrick Kluivert, R Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, Jonty Rhodes, Shane Bond, Scott Styris, Brad Hodge, and Chirag Shetty, among others, recall their favourite FIFA World Cup moments in Hero Speak for sports fans to enjoy. All of the captivating content will be spread across JioCinema, Sports18 – 1 SD & HD, and Sports18 Khel.
The pre-game and post-game shows on the Viacom 18 Sports network will also feature well-known World Cup heroes and provide an in-depth preview and analysis of all 64 games. All viewers can watch the global marquee competition on JioCinema from 20 November through 18 December, inclusive. Sports18 – 1 SD & HD and Sports18 Khel will both be broadcast on TV.
Technology lovers in India will be excited by the developments that are set to enhance the viewing experience of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Given that technology is a major part of life for people in the country from a young age, these technological advancements will be of interest to a large portion of the population, especially those who have a passion for football and are looking forward to watching the best international teams compete against each other.
So, what can these viewers expect from the technology that has been introduced in time for this year’s World Cup?
More content to watch
As the build-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 continues apace, there will be more demand than ever for a myriad of different content that viewers can engage with. It’s no longer sufficient for broadcasting and streaming services to show matches live.
Technology now allows for the stockpiling of large amounts of content that viewers can peruse at their own convenience. This viewing can be done in a number of ways, including the use of in-demand cable services and streaming services like YouTube. This additional content is expected to generate millions of viewing hours throughout the tournament.
Enhanced excitement while watching games
It’s not only the amount of content that has been enhanced by technology, the excitement of watching the matches has also been increased. An example of this is the availability of improved sports betting opportunities provided by the best online casinos in India, where football enthusiasts can place wagers on teams, results, players, and other occurrences.
One of the technological advancements that are revolutionising this area is the launch of an In-Play MultiBet system by Genius Sports. The system is powered by AI that allows people to make parlay bets during live play. This ability adds to the level of excitement football fans can experience while watching games during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It also gives people more control over the bets they make.
Better informed decisions by officials creating fairer results
Technology in use on the pitch is also set to revolutionise the viewing experience for the 2022 World Cup. It will be the first time that new semi-automated offside technology is in full use in matches. This technology provides an alert to match officials automatically when an offside is detected.
This is only part of the new system. It also produces 3D animation that is made available to fans in the stadium and TV viewers. This exposure allows everyone involved in the game to clearly see if a player is in an offside position. The aim of this technology is to support match officials in making faster and more accurate decisions. Doing this not only makes matches fairer, but it also improves the fan experience as it helps to remove some of the contentions that currently exist regarding offsides.
Each of these advances will be welcomed by the technologically savvy World Cup audience in India.
Mumbai: In an interesting development Viacom18, the joint venture between Reliance’s TV18 and Paramount Global, has announced plans to move its existing sports properties from the company’s video-on-demand service VOOT to JioCinema.
According to the company’s announcement, JioCinema shared that it will stream live all the matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and will also bring other curated content around it.
In addition to JioCinema, the global marquee competition will also be available on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD, from 20 November to 18 December to all viewers.
Viacom18 Sports’ 64-match showcase will be headlined by live streaming in 4K and multiple language feeds, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali on JioCinema without charging any subscription fees.
“Viacom18 Sports’ multi-platform presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be immersive, personalised and offer viewers exclusive experiences on JioCinema,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.
He added, “We want consumers to have easy access to world-class production across digital and linear platforms (on Sports 18) to match the event’s stature. Our efforts are towards reshaping the fan experience and building one of the most-loved media platforms in India.”
Mumbai: Discovery on Friday announced the commission of “The Men Who Sold the World Cup,” a compelling two-part film from critically acclaimed directors Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme (“Get Me Roger Stone,” “The Swamp”). The film is based on the definitive story of how football’s biggest competition was sold to the highest bidders.
Made in partnership with award-winning producers Story Films and Calliope Pictures, “The Men Who Sold the World Cup” will premiere exclusively on discovery+ on 24 October.
The awarding of the World Cup to countries around the world was rumoured to have been infested with bribery, corruption, global politics, backroom deals, and greed. It all came to a head when the 2022 World Cup was awarded to Qatar – a desert nation with baking summer temperatures, zero world-class stadiums, a population mostly indifferent to soccer, and lots of money, said the platform in a statement.
With exclusive interviews from those right at the heart of the story, the documentary reveals the stranger-than-fiction truth behind how the world’s biggest sporting event was sold by some of international football’s most senior officials and how they were eventually evicted from their seats of power and luxury lifestyles, it added.
With unique testimonials lifting the lid on the story, viewers are taken inside FIFA during the era of Sepp Blatter, the infamous ex-president who presided over world Football for decades. This was a world where, for some, normal rules didn’t apply and bribery and embezzlement were part of the business.
The film features a cast of outrageous characters including US soccer bigwig, Chuck Blazer, and Qatari deal-maker, Mohamed Bin Hammam. Contributors include a whistle-blower from the Qatari bid team, Blatter’s former Press chief, soccer greats including Jurgen Klinsmann and Landon Donovan, and Sepp Blatter himself.
The first episode showcases Sunday Times investigators Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert and follows their incredible investigation and scoop of the century that revealed rampant corruption at the heart of FIFA. The second features FBI and IRS investigators who exposed criminal behaviour at the heart of an organisation with a structure they likened to The Mob.
The show was ordered by Discovery Group’s VP content & acquisitions EMEA and APAC Myriam Lopez-Otazu; SVP marketing, head of factual & sport Simon Downing, and VP original content – factual Victoria Noble. Executive producers for Story Films are David Nath, Peter Beard, and Jeremy Phillips at Discovery.
MUMBAI: The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia has broken viewership barriers with over 250 million viewers tuning in to the tournament in India. Telecast on Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 and Sony ESPN channels and live streamed on SonyLIV app and website, it garnered over 250 million viewers across 64 matches played until the end of the tournament.
According to the broadcaster’s report, repeats, surround programming, highlights and wrap around shows of FIFA World Cup 2018 have reached out to 254 million viewers this year.
The 64 live matches of the FIFA WC 2018 have been watched by 110.5 million viewers across India on the Sony Pictures Networks. The top markets for the live matches were West Bengal with 22.2 million viwers, Kerala with 17.8 million, Maharashtra and Goa with 12.8 million and lastly Assam/North East and Sikkim with 11.4 million.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup final match was watched by 51.2 million viewers, one of the highest for any FIFA World Cup match till date. Coming to the local language feeds which include Hindi, Malayalam, Bengali,Tamil and Telugu, they have reached out to 70.7 million viewers which is nearly 66 per cent of the overall tournament reach.
The regional commentary also received viewership of 9.7 million in Kerala while West Bengal reached out to 10.7 million. There were 40.7 million viewers across India for regional commentary.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup also received 47 per fent of viewership from females, the highest till date.
