Just like the ISL 2025-26 season having a refreshed look from structural to administrative level, the broadcasting and production of the league will also have a new home. The long uncertainty over the league's future due to disagreement over MRA contract renewal between federation and former ISL owners FSDL shifted the platform from Jio Hotstar and Star Sports that have been the defacto place for the league for 11 years. Hence, for the 2025-26 season which is to be played in the truncated format, a fresh new tender was floated for media rights which is taken up by FanCode. The digital sports platform by Dreams Sport is now the destination for the top-flight league in men's football where fans will be able to watch long delay season without a hitch.
Eight platforms and entities showed interest to win the media rights but Sony and Zee sports did not submit the final bid. Among the six who placed the bids were FanCode, ABP Network, UK-based firm Two Circles, KPS Studios, Sportzworks and even Jio Hotstar. At the end, the broadcasting and streaming rights of the truncated 2025-26 season was sold to FanCode for ₹8.62 crore for a package of 91 matches. Considering the valuation of the previous cycle was approximately ₹275 crore per season for 163 matches, it was a sharp decline of about 95–97% with the per match value also falling from ₹1.68 crore to only ₹9.5 lakh. The shortened 2025-26 season will start from 14 February 2026, with each side playing 13 games in a single home and away format with no playoffs this time.
FanCode acquires media rights
After securing exclusive broadcast and media rights for the 2025-26 season, FanCode introduced a flexible pricing subscription model on their digital platform to make the league accessible. The platform uses passes to view games on their app with three passes included for the ISL - Match Pass, Team Pass and the Season Pass. Fans have to pay ₹25 to access the 'Match Pass' in order to watch individual games of the season. If one wants to follow all the games of a specific club, Team Pass is available for an amount of ₹149. A Season Pass for all 91 matches is also available priced at ₹299. The platform aims to provide a "digital-first" experience with high-quality streaming and fan-centric features. It can be viewed through mobile devices and also through laptop or PC.
Sony Sports becomes TV partner
FanCode won the rights for both broadcast and streaming platforms to show the 2025-26 ISL season. As the platform that was launched in 2019 is solely a streaming platform and does not have a TV channel, search was on to find a partner to televise the games. Reports suggest that FanCode has reached a verbal agreement to sub-license the linear TV coverage to Sony Sports Network to handle television broadcasts pan-India. This partnership ensures that the league continues to be accessible on traditional satellite TV, providing nationwide coverage for fans. Earlier, Sony Sports expressed interest as a sole bidder with the intention of being the destination of Indian football, not just the ISL, having also taken rights for the I-League. However, they backed off from the final media rights bid for the 2025-26 season.
KPS the Production Partner
The production rights for the 2025-26 ISL season was given to Kaleidoscope Production and Services, better known as KPS Studios. The platform will handle the world-feed coverage after winning the bid by tabling ₹5.22 crore. They are responsible for the entire broadcast production of the league and make it an immersive experience much like their predecessors, Star Sports and Jio Hotstar. KPS will distribute the feed to FanCode to ensure uniform coverage of the games regardless of the platform, maintain high quality and standard of broadcasting.