Sony Sports Network and YouTube to broadcast ISL for 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons
The Indian Super League governing council has selected Sony Sports Network and Google to hold broadcast and streaming rights for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 ISL seasons, Khel Now revealed on October 1, 2026. Sony will acquire satellite television rights across the Indian subcontinent while Google will stream every match on YouTube in India and worldwide.
Sony will also stream matches on its OTT platform SonyLIV in India, and Khel Now reports all parties reached an agreement in the last few hours with final paperwork still pending and expected to be completed soon. Digital rights are not exclusive in India, and the arrangement gives the league coverage on both traditional television and YouTube.
The decision reflected a split among clubs over distribution, with some favouring YouTube’s reach and others preferring traditional broadcasters to protect sponsorship value. “Many clubs wanted to go to YouTube for wider reach, but a few clubs wanted to keep traditional media channels to make sure sponsorship did not take a hit, so finally ISL clubs were able to negotiate with the broadcasters and finalise Sony Sports Network”, a source close to the development told Khel Now. The deal will provide YouTube with seven months of live Indian football each season.
Under the agreement clubs will receive access to all broadcast and streaming data, including overall and state-wise reach, a provision Khel Now understands is being made available to clubs for the first time. That data access forms part of the commercial terms negotiated alongside the media-rights allocation.
Sony Sports Network’s existing football portfolio in India includes the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Nations League, and the broadcaster is also the home of the Durand Cup. Sony recently acquired the broadcast rights for India’s friendlies against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, according to Khel Now.
Google has been expanding live sports on YouTube, partnering with properties such as the FIFA World Cup globally and, in India, the Prime Volleyball League and the Tamil Nadu Premier League, using those events to trial new platform features.
The 2026-27 ISL season will begin on October 10 and run until May 2027, returning to a home-and-away league format after the shortened 2025-26 single-leg campaign. Thirteen clubs will compete — East Bengal, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters, FC Goa, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United FC, Odisha FC, Punjab FC, Inter Kashi, Chennaiyin FC, Churchill Brothers and Sporting Club Delhi — with Churchill Brothers taking over Jamshedpur FC’s sporting licence; Churchill were relegated to IFL 2 last season but will now compete in the top tier. The season will feature 163 matches including the playoffs, the league phase will see every club face the others twice, the team finishing top will be crowned Shield Winner and recognised as the official ISL champion, the league winner will secure a place in Asian competition, and the top six teams will qualify for the ISL Cup playoffs; the 2026-27 season will operate without relegation.
Diamond Harbour FC, winners of the Indian Football League 2025-26, will not take up promotion after failing to meet administrative requirements and will be placed at the bottom of the standings by default and return to the Indian Football League for 2027-28, leaving the ISL to proceed with 13 clubs. Final paperwork on the media-rights deal remains to be completed ahead of the season start on October 10, 2026.
The 2026-27 campaign also begins the club-led structure under which participating clubs share commercial and operational responsibility; the league has already secured several related agreements including a four-year EA Sports licensing deal keeping the ISL in EA Sports FC games, a four-year Sportradar agreement worth around ₹57 crore as the official data and integrity partner until 2030, a two-year extension with Nivia Sports as official ball and equipment partner, and a title sponsorship with MG Motors worth around ₹25 crore.
