Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (‘Z’), a media and entertainment company, has announced a landmark partnership with Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia. The collaboration will bring Baseball United’s Season One professional games live to millions of viewers across India, expanding the country’s sports entertainment portfolio beyond cricket.
The coverage will include all 21 matches scheduled in November and December 2025, including primetime games featuring the Mumbai Cobras, India’s first professional baseball franchise.
Baseball United’s matches will stream live on Zee 5 and air on three of ‘Z’s prominent channels — Zee Café SD, &Flix SD, and &Pictures HD — in both English and Hindi, ensuring accessibility to audiences across regions. The inaugural season will feature four founding teams: the Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and Mumbai Cobras.
The partnership also features an extensive lineup of supplementary content on Zee 5, including player profiles, behind-the-scenes features, Baseball 101 explainers, ballpark highlights, and an original documentary on the making of the league. ‘Z’ will support the initiative through four weeks of cross-platform promotion across its linear and OTT network with teasers, ad spots, branded content, and social media campaigns.
The season kicks off on November 14th, when the Mumbai Cobras take the field for their inaugural match. The franchise includes six Indian players alongside international stars, providing Indian audiences with homegrown talent to rally behind.
“At ‘Z’, we are committed to bringing world-class international sports to Indian audiences and establishing India as a global platform for sports consumption,” said Laxmi Shetty, Head-Advertisement Revenue, Broadcast and Digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. “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.”
India is a key pillar in Baseball United’s long-term expansion strategy. With a massive, youth-driven audience and over 800 million viewers reached across Zee’s platforms, the partnership aims to accelerate baseball’s fan growth across the subcontinent.
“We are very grateful to announce this partnership with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (‘Z’),” said Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, Baseball United. “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 full season will run from November 14 to December 14, 2025, at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai. Featuring 21 games over 30 days, the season will culminate with the United Series Championship from December 12–14.
Supported by 20 Major League Baseball legends — including Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin, Adrián Beltré, and Albert Pujols — Baseball United’s mission is to expand the reach of baseball across India, Pakistan, and the Middle East, inspiring a new generation of fans and athletes across the region.
