Zee Entertainment Enterprises (‘Z’) is aiming to enhance its presence across the sports broadcasting ecosystem by announcing the launch of Unite8 Sports, a dedicated portfolio of four sports channels.

The channels - Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi and Unite8 Sports 2, Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English, will offer content across will offer the best of action across football, kabaddi, cricket, badminton, wrestling, boxing and combat sports amongst others. With this, the company aims to unlock new avenues of engagement, while nurturing the growth of sports across markets. The announcement of the channel comes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The company is in talks with FIFA to broadcast the tournament in India.

The requisite applications for the launch of the channels have been submitted by the company.

Bavesh Janavlekar, who was handling the Marathi movies cluster (linear and studio business) of the company, will assume additional charge as chief business officer, Unite8 Sports channels. 

He said, “In a vast country like India, there is rising demand for sports which are global in appeal yet rooted within the heartland. Sports consumption across the country is accelerating rapidly, driven by an increasing demand for live, appointment-based content and rising audience affinity for multiple sporting formats. Building a robust presence in the linear ecosystem with four channels aligns with our broader strategy of diversifying the content portfolio and building scalable, value-accretive businesses that capitalise on emerging growth opportunities.”