Slam-dunk for India’s Taj TV and Multi Screen Media in new NBA deal

Rebecca Hawkes

National Basketball Association (NBA) games will be televised once again in India, following an extensive new deal struck by the US league with Taj Television and Sony-backed Multi Screen Media (MSM).

Each broadcaster will now each be able to air two live NBA games per week – Taj on its Ten Sports Channel, and MSM on its English language movie channel PIX. Taj also gets to televise the all-star games and play-offs, including the finals, and will produce a local NBA-dedicated highlights show, as well as an NBA-themed reality show.

As well as the two live games, MSM will air some play offs, a highlights show, and a weekly programme featuring a 30 minute edited version of an NBA game.

“[The broadcasters’] local experience will help connect the NBA to its growing fan base in India,” said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA international chief, after the deal was struck.

NBA matches were shown in India on ESPN Star Sports until the end of last season, when its broadcast rights deal expired.

According to the Basketball Federation of India, the sport now has over 4 million active participants in the country. To tap into this market the NBA - together with the Mahindra Group - started a recreational league in India earlier this year, while online and mobile NBA services were launched last December specifically for Indian fans.