MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association has tipped off a media rights agreement with Star Sports that covers the India subcontinent and is limited only to the “business end” of the ongoing 2021 NBA season.
As part of the new deal, financial terms for which were not disclosed, fans in India can now watch select games of the 2021 NBA Playoffs and the finals on Star Sports Select and Star Sports 1. NBA fans will have a choice of watching the games across multiple platforms, including television and through the NBA League Pass.
“We are delighted to announce that Star Sports, India’s leading sports broadcaster, will be the official broadcast partner of the NBA in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal for the 2021 NBA Playoffs and The Finals,” Sunny Malik, NBA ‎Business head – Global Content & Media Distribution, stated in a LinkedIn post.
“We are committed to bringing the best NBA content to our fans and with this partnership, fans will get access to a weekly selection of live games through the NBA Playoffs, entire Conference Finals and The Finals. Star Sports will also air daily highlights & classic NBA content till the end of the season,” Malik added.
NBA games have been available this season in India only as a streaming option on NBA League Pass after the long-term media rights deal with incumbent broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India ended with the 2020 season. Sony and before it Ten Sports (acquired by SPN in 2018 from the Zee Network) was the broadcast partner of NBA since November 2012.
In January, NBA had inked a deal with Prasar Bharati that will see Prasar Bharati’s sports channel – Doordarshan (DD) Sports – and its YouTube channel – Prasar Bharati Sports – air classic NBA content, documentaries, game highlights and public service announcements. The partnership features daily content offerings, including Hardwood Classics, Marquee Matchups, NBA championship videos, NBA TV specials and public service announcements.
