Star Sports unveils Bangla channel
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 05 March 2019

Star India’s sports network has launched its fifth regional channel, Star Sports 1 Bangla for audiences across West Bengal.

The channel will kick off with coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, followed by ICC Cricket World Cup, Pro Kabaddi season 7 and the Indian Super League (ISL). The channel will also provide curated Bengali content featuring local teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders, Bengal Warriors, ATK, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

“West Bengal is a unique market with high affinity to language content and very distinctive viewing habits. Nuances of the game and local flavour add to a fan’s viewing experience and builds a local affinity for sports in the region. With the IPL, followed by the ICC World Cup this year – it is indeed a Summer of Cricket on Star Sports, and with Star Sports 1 Bangla, we have taken one more step towards treating fans to a customised and acquainted exposure,” said a spokesperson for Star Sports.

The channel launched with panel discussion Ebar Khelbe Bangla, hosted by Kolkata’s Boria Majumdar and featuring sports stars from the region.

Panel participant Sourav Ganguly, former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team, and president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, said: “It was a beautiful day today and a great experience shooting for Star Sports Bangla. Sports is a part of every Bengali’s life and launching a dedicated Bengali sports channel is a great initiative.

“This platform will help sports reach out to people in faraway places and people, who don’t understand English or Hindi. With this initiative, Star Sports will be able to reach every nook and corner of the West Bengal market and dish out sport stars,” he added.