Following the non-renewal of the broadcast rights deal of the NBA in the Indian sub-continent with incumbent broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), Star Sports has now bagged the deal.
Significantly, Sony was the official broadcast partner of NBA for almost eight years since November 2012.
After the development, the Indian fans 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.
Earlier in January, NBA had signed 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.