Zee will amplify the broadcast of the upcoming International League T20 (ILT20), the Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) 20-over cricket tournament, across its network as it eyes more viewership for the tournament. Zee has the 10-year media rights for the ILT20, which it picked up in 2022 for around `800-900 crore, marking its re-entry into sports broadcasting.

Zee had sold its Ten Sports television network to Sony in 2016 for `2,600 crore, exiting the business. The third season of the ILT20 will begin on January 11 and conclude February 9, 2025.

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From 10 channels in the second season, the plan is to increase coverage to 15 channels for the third season, including five south-based channels, though the commentary will continue to be in English and Hindi for now, Ashish Sehgal, chief growth officer, digital and broadcast revenue, Zee Entertainment, said. The ILT20 will also be available on streaming platform Zee5, like it has in previous seasons.

“We reached 220 million viewers in the second season. We are aiming for a reach of around 230 million as we add more regional channels to the broadcast mix,” Sehgal said in a conversation with FE.

The six-team league, known for featuring the most number of international players (as many as nine) in a playing eleven, is positioning itself as a key tournament in the T20 calendar, second only to the Indian Premier League (IPL). But securing an exclusive window, which does not clash with other tournaments, has been a challenge over the last two seasons for the organisers, which may continue during the third edition too, media experts said. “We are in discussions to find a period where no other leagues are active. This wasn’t possible for the third season due to the Champions Trophy 2025, which kicks off mid-February. We are hoping it will get better in the future,” David White, CEO, ILT20, said.

The Champions Trophy 2025 will begin in mid-February in Pakistan. It will be a one-month tournament, concluding in March.

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Despite the challenges, White added that the ILT20 had grown in terms of fan engagement, especially because January-February is peak travel time for Indian tourists. “We saw a 300% increase in stadium attendance, surpassing 200,000 spectators. We are working with Zee and the teams to build on this momentum,” White said.


While three of the six teams in ILT20 were picked up by IPL franchise owners—RIL (owners of Mumbai Indians), Shah Rukh Khan (owner of Kolkata Knight Riders) and GMR Group (co-owners of Delhi Capitals)—the other three were acquired by the Adani Group, football club Manchester United’s Glazer family, and Capri Global.

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