Star Sports bags NBA broadcast rights for Indian sub-continent

Star Sports has bagged the broadcast rights for NBA in the Indian sub-continent after the deal with incumbent broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) didn't get renewed. Sony was the official broadcast partner of NBA for almost eight years after the two signed a multi-year broadcast deal in November 2012.

Prior to that, the rights were split between Ten Sports, which was then part of ZEEL, and Sony Pix, the English movie channel from Sony stable.

As part of the new deal, fans in India can now watch select games of the 2021 NBA Playoffs and The Finals on Star Sports Select and Star Sports 1.

"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, Srilanka, Nepal for the 2021 NBA Playoffs and The Finals," NBA ‎Business Head - Global Content & Media Distribution Sunny Malik said 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," he added.

NBA fans will have a choice of watching the games across multiple platforms including television and through the NBA League Pass.

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 will feature daily content offerings including Hardwood Classics, Marquee Matchups, NBA championship videos, NBA TV specials and public service announcements.