ISL Finds A New Home: FanCode Bags Broadcast Rights For 2025-26 Truncated Season

Indian football fans can breathe easy: the Indian Super League finally has a new broadcast home.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday announced FanCode as the official media partner for the 2025–26 ISL season, ending weeks of uncertainty around how the league would reach fans.

🚨 ISL 2025–26 LIVE streaming update 🚨#IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/BGJ15EaLIW

— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) February 2, 2026

FanCode, a Dream Sports subsidiary, emerged victorious after submitting two bids — one with production included and one without — each valued at over ₹8.5 crore, according to Sportstar.

The Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) ultimately accepted FanCode’s proposal without production.

Who handles production?

With media rights settled,

production duties have been handed to Kaleidoscope Production and Services (KPS), who quoted a bid of over ₹5.5 crore.

KPS are no strangers to Indian football, having previously produced matches for the I-League, Durand Cup and Bengal Super League.

The decision follows the AIFF’s Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on December 18, inviting media partners for the delayed season.

How the bidding played out

The AIFF received seven bids in total, covering various combinations of broadcast, digital and production rights. Interested parties included FanCode, Two Circles, Anandabazar Patrika Digital, Monarch PR Solutions, JioStar, Kaleidoscope, and Sportzworks.

Technical bids were opened on February 2, with shortlisted bidders making presentations before the BEC earlier in the day. Two Circles and Monarch PR Solutions were eliminated at the technical stage.

After deliberations, FanCode were informed of their successful bid later that evening.

According to reports, JioStar, ISL’s exclusive broadcaster for the last two seasons and the company that previously owned the league for a decade, missed out, with a reported bid of around ₹5 crore.

A sharp fall in valuation

The outcome highlights a dramatic drop in ISL’s media rights valuation. Just two seasons ago, the rights were sold for a staggering ₹550 crore.

The collapse of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) plunged Indian football into turmoil, delaying the season and forcing a truncated format.

The 2025–26 ISL season will kick off on February 14, featuring 91 matches: 72 fewer than last season.