India, June 11 -- ZEE5's FIFA Litmus Test

After months of uncertainty, Zee recently locked both TV and digital rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, looking to revive its lost glory in the live sports and on-demand sports segment. Zee and its OTT platform ZEE5 are betting big and it all starts tonight as the first match kicks off in Mexico. But what is the real prize on offer for ZEE5?

Zee's Big Bet: For the media giant, the rights deal offers something valuable: live content that can pull large audiences at once, high engagement and a long list of advertisers. This also offers ZEE5 a chance to re-enter the premium sports conversation and grab market share.

Monetisation Tightrope: However, the economic potential of football streaming in ...