MUMBAI: Star Sports has launched Star Sports 1 Kannada, the country’s first dedicated Kannada sports channel. The development comes just weeks after Star Sports introduced India’s first Telugu sports channel – Star Sports 1 Telugu – paving the way for more regional sports channels after the successful launch of Star Sports 1 Tamil in 2017.
The channel has been made available first up on direct-to-home (DTH) platforms Tata Sky and Sun Direct, Television Post reports.
Star couldn’t have had its timing better as sport in Karnataka is at an all-time high. Bengaluru Bulls will be contesting the finals of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 in Mumbai on Monday, 7th January. In football, Bengaluru FC is at the top of the table in the Hero Indian Super League.
Karnataka remain unbeaten in the Ranji Trophy cricket competition this season and its T20 competition, the Karnataka Premier League has a massive fan following.
Fans can also get to watch the Royal Challengers Bangalore in action in the IPL later this year by tuning in for Kannada content.
Celebrating the spirit of the Kannadiga culture is at the heart of the launch of Star Sports 1 Kannada, an official release states. Karnataka as a region has shown very distinctive viewing habits and an affinity to differentiated language content. This has enabled Star Sports to create a unique, engaging and most importantly, viewer-centric offering for the southern state.
Star Sports 1 Kannada’s broadcast calendar includes live events such as Bengaluru Bulls’ panga in the VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 6 finals as they eye their first ever VIVO PKL trophy. The fans can also enjoy Karnataka’s domestic cricket matches, Hero Indian Super League, Premier Badminton League, upcoming AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Khelo India Youth Games, VIVO IPL and a host of other sporting events being broadcast in Kannada throughout the year. Star Sports 1 Kannada aims to provide fans with region-specific quality sports content allowing them to connect with their sports heroes.
A Star India spokesperson said: “Sports is more engaging, enjoyable and thrilling, when it is watched in a language one speaks. Our strong presence in Karnataka has helped us understand how Kannadiga sports fans like to consume sports content. Kannadigas possess an inherent sporting quality of resilience and an undying desire to always win. Star Sports 1 Kannada, with its extensive line-up of popular sports content, is a resolute step towards bringing these Kannadiga fans closer to their favourite games and heroes.”
A promo campaign was launched to support the launch of Star Sports 1 Kannada. Keeping true to the essence of the Kannadiga culture, the promo focuses on watching sport in “our language”.
