‘Z’ and Baseball United collaborate to stream professional baseball across India

New Delhi: Zee Entertainment Enterprises (‘Z’) has entered into a partnership with Baseball United, the professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, to broadcast the league’s inaugural season live in India. 

The agreement will cover all 21 Season One games in November and December, including matches featuring the Mumbai Cobras, India’s first professional baseball franchise.

The games will be streamed on the Zee5 app and broadcast on three of ‘Z’s linear channels, Zee Café SD, &Flix SD, and &Pictures HD, with commentary in both English and Hindi. The inaugural season will feature four franchises: the Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and the Mumbai Cobras.

In addition to live games, Zee5 will offer supplementary content, including player features, ballpark highlights, instructional clips, behind-the-scenes segments, and a documentary on the formation of the league. The partnership will be supported by four weeks of promotional activity across ‘Z’s linear and OTT platforms, along with social media campaigns.

The season opens on November 14, when the Mumbai Cobras play their first professional match. The team includes six Indian players alongside international athletes, offering local fans homegrown talent to follow.

Laxmi Shetty, Head, Advertisement Revenue, Broadcast and Digital at Zee Entertainment, said, "At ‘Z’, we are committed to bringing world-class international sports to Indian audiences and establishing India as a global platform for sports consumption. With ILT20, we celebrated international talent in cricket, and now we're expanding that vision by bringing professional baseball to India. 

This partnership with Baseball United reflects our dedication to diversifying sports entertainment and offering Indian fans access to premier sporting events from around the world. India has a deeply entrenched bat-and-ball sporting culture, and we are excited to introduce millions of sports fans to the speed, strategy, and spectacle of professional baseball. With Hindi and English feeds, we are building a foundation for the sport of baseball that will entertain fans and create a wider passionate fanbase."

Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Baseball United, said, “We are very grateful to announce this partnership with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (‘Z’). This is a major milestone in our mission to bring professional baseball to India and the broader region, and it's a significant moment for the more than 50 million baseball fans in India. 

‘Z’ is one of India’s most iconic broadcasters, and their combination of reach, relevance, and reputation make them an ideal partner to connect with fans across this great country. For the first time in history, those fans will have a team of their own to support, with homegrown players to inspire them. We can’t wait for the Cobras to take the field on November 14th.”

Baseball United’s first season begins on November 14 at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai, with 21 games over 30 days. The season will conclude with the United Series Championship on December 12–14. 

The league is supported by 20 Major League Baseball legends, including Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin, Adrián Beltré, and Albert Pujols, and seeks to grow the sport across India, Pakistan, and the Middle East.