PANAJI: The Indian Super League (ISL) has for the first time floated an invitation to tender for media rights and remain confident that there will be considerable interest which will help unlock the value it has created for Indian football from its tenth edition.
Octagon, a US-based reputed media rights agency, will manage the closed bid process. According to sources, home games of the national team which includes three Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifiers to be played during the November, March and June international windows, have been added to the tender. Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), who own ISL, are marketing partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
“The invitation to tender will be for an initial period of two years and will include television and digital rights,” a source told TOI on Tuesday. “The tender, managed by an international company of repute, ensures fair opportunity for broadcasters and digital players to be part of Indian football’s growing stature. The new cycle of media rights is exciting.”
Since inception in 2014, ISL has been broadcast by Star Sports in multiple languages. An initiative of FSDL, ISL is jointly owned by Reliance Industries Ltd (65%) and Disney Star (35%).
Disney Star’s five and four-year agreement for broadcast rights ended last season, prompting FSDL to float the tender. FSDL has informed all stakeholders about the global tender and expect a broadcaster to be in place in 15-20 days.
“Besides cricket (IPL), ISL is the only league in India to complete 10 years of existence and now runs consistently for six months. With close to 140 matches during the last season (2023-24), it’s the longest sports league in India. ISL is also the most-watched football league in the country and has 10 times the viewership of Premier League. The numbers are staggering, and the recent results should help unlock Indian football’s true potential,” said a source who has been tracking the broadcast development.
(AI image)
The next edition of ISL, expected to commence around the last week of September, will have 12 teams for the first time since inception when it kicked off as a three-month league with eight franchises.
Punjab FC will make their debut after earning qualification by winning the I-League, Indian football’s second-tier league competition.
The tenth edition is expected to be the most-fierce with ISL-winning coaches like Sergio Lobera (Odisha FC), Owen Coyle (Chennaiyin FC) and Carles Cuadrat (East Bengal) all making a return to India.
