The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced it has signed a major media rights agreement with Indian broadcaster Viacom18. This agreement runs for a four-year cycle (2023-2027) and includes all FIH events, except the FIH Nations Cup.

Thanks to this partnership, Indian hockey fans will be able to watch on Viacom18 channels the upcoming FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers, the first ever FIH Hockey’s World Cup, the FIH Hockey Pro league, the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup and many more events, hockey’s global governing body said in a media statement.

With India being such a historic powerhouse of global hockey, this agreement is a great asset to boost the popularity of the game in the country even further, FIH said.

Matches will be available on OTT platform JioCinema and Viacom18’s linear channels Network Sports18.

“Hockey has been one of the most loved, followed and storied sports in India. The recent success of the Indian Men’s and Women’s National Team bodes well for the continuous growth of Hockey, and we are excited to bring unbridled access to millions of sports fans in India,” said Viacom18 Sports Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Acquisitions, Hursh Shrivastava.

“The addition of world-class Hockey coverage reiterates our commitment to provide fans all-inclusive offerings of globally-acclaimed sports events,” he added.

Commenting on the agreement, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “As we’re enhancing our commercial and broadcast approach, this agreement with Viacom18 is a major step forward. It’s a great support to be partnering with such a strong broadcaster in a country where hockey is so fundamentally and historically anchored, and where we continuously want to develop the game.

“On behalf of FIH, I would like to thank Viacom18 for joining our efforts to promote hockey in India even further.”