Safeguarding the exclusive broadcasting rights of Zee TV, the Delhi High Court has granted an ex parte interim injunction restraining five rogue websites from unauthorised streaming and broadcasting of the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Justice Saurabh Banerjee passed the order on 3 June, observing that a prima facie case of copyright infringement was made out against the defendants.
The Court noted that these rogue websites, referred to as masked players using advanced technology to conceal their identities, were set to enrich themselves by infringing upon the legitimate intellectual property rights of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. The bench emphasised that immediate blocking was necessary to prevent Zee’s rights from being rendered infructuous.
The order directs domain name registrars to lock and suspend the domain registrations of the identified rogue websites and mobile applications, while Internet Service Providers have been instructed to block access to them. The direction also extends to any other infringing websites that Zee may discover in the future. Additionally, the Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology must ensure compliance by the ISPs.
The rogue websites mentioned in the petition are soccerbox.me, soccerworldcup.me, dlhd.pk, strumyk.uk, and sportsbay.pro. Three domain name registrars, Immaterialism Limited, PKNIC, and Soluciones Corporativas, are also named as defendants in the case. The Court has also directed the disclosure of details such as names, email addresses, and IP addresses of these websites to Zee. Zee has been granted liberty to approach the Court with information on any additional rogue platforms. The matter is listed for further hearing on 6 October.
Zee Entertainment had approached the High Court after acquiring the exclusive media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India on 1 June, just days before the tournament’s opening match on 11 June. Under the Copyright Act, Zee holds the rights to broadcast, re-broadcast, re-transmit, and stream the matches across various platforms, including cable, satellite, terrestrial, IPTV, broadband, and mobile technologies. The company informed the Court that it became aware of plans by rogue websites to stream the matches without authorisation, prompting the urgent plea for protection.
In a development that brought relief to millions of Indian football fans, Zee Entertainment secured the broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the last moment following months of uncertainty. For a considerable period, no broadcaster had acquired the media rights for the tournament in India, one of the world’s largest markets, leading to widespread concern. The Delhi High Court had even sought responses from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Prasar Bharati on a petition seeking guaranteed coverage.
FIFA had reportedly sought a high price initially, which was later reduced, but negotiations with several broadcasters remained protracted. The early morning timing of the matches in the Americas was the major concern of networks like JioStar and Sony. JioStar, India’s largest media platform, had submitted a bid of approximately US$15-20 million for the rights. However, FIFA turned down the offer, as it was significantly below their expectations.
Sony, which had previously broadcast the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups in India, also held discussions with FIFA. However, the network ultimately decided not to submit a formal bid, reportedly due to valuation differences and the challenging economics of the deal given the time difference and limited monetisation potential.
These failed negotiations contributed to months of uncertainty, with rights remaining unsold until Zee stepped in at the last moment. On 1 June, Zee announced a comprehensive partnership with FIFA, acquiring rights not only for the 2026 World Cup but also for 38 other FIFA events through 2034, including the 2030 World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Matches will be aired on Zee’s newly launched Unite8 Sports channels and streamed on ZEE5, ensuring multi-language coverage and broad accessibility across the country.
