ALL INDIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION (AIFF) has received at least four bids for the media rights of the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season, with the submission window closing late on 1 February.
Kolkata-based conglomerate Anandabazar Patrika (ABP), Dream Sports-owned FanCode, JioStar and Kaleidoscope Production and Services (KPS Studios) have emerged as confirmed bidders. In contrast, ZEE and Sony, both of whom had previously expressed interest, have opted not to submit bids, according to a Sportstar report.
Representatives from Sony, ZEE, FanCode and British media group Two Circles attended the pre-bid meeting, where discussions centred on the flexibility of deadlines, minimum camera requirements and the possibility of splitting rights packages for partial acquisition.
The AIFF has outlined five distinct media rights packages for the 2025–26 ISL season, which can also be acquired in combination:
* Package A: Production of the world feed, linear television broadcast and digital streaming
* Package B: Linear television broadcast and digital streaming
* Package C: Linear television broadcast only
* Package D: Digital streaming only
* Package E: Production of the world feed only
The report suggest that both ABP Group and FanCode are inclined towards a combination of Packages D and E, while KPS Studios has expressed interest solely in production rights under Package E.
West Bengal-based KPS Studios has largely operated on a B2B model over the past five years. It handled production for all I-League matches during the 2022–23 season and most recently produced the entire Bengal Super League 2025–26.
For ABP, a successful bid would signal a significant entry into sports broadcasting. The group’s earlier involvement in the sector was limited to its role as a non-exclusive broadcast partner with Star Sports for the Legends Cricket League in 2024.
FanCode, meanwhile, has established itself as a consistent player in football broadcasting, covering both domestic and international competitions. The platform streamed the CAFA Nations Cup, where India finished third, and has also shown India’s AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Hong Kong, China (June 10), Singapore (October 9) and Bangladesh (November 18).
Jio’s renewed presence in the bidding process adds another layer of intrigue. The Reliance-owned entity, which previously held ownership of the ISL until 8 December 2025, had shown interest in the previous request for proposals (RFP) but ultimately chose not to place a bid before the December deadline.
Historically, the ISL was broadcast on Star Sports and streamed on Disney+ Hotstar. Subsequently, Viacom, also owned by Reliance, secured exclusive television and digital rights at the base price (undisclosed) for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons.
The current bidding scenario marks a sharp contrast to the AIFF’s previous RFP cycle, during which no bids were received despite an extension of the submission deadline.
