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MUMBAI: It is one of the most popular sports in the US and now it is trying its luck with a cricket crazy nation. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has come up with a comprehensive plan to get Indians aboard the basketball frenzy ship and the captain of the ship is Sony Six as their exclusive broadcast partner in India.
The association will host a basketball tournament called JAM across Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in September. The game format will be a three-on-three tournament, culminating in a final against three NBA legends (who so far have not been disclosed). Boys in the age groups of 16-18 and 19-23 will compete to reach the finals. a similar format has been planned for the girls as well. The final match tentatively will be played at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, Bandra on 29 September.
Sony Six has entered into a contract (the number of years remain undisclosed) with NBA to broadcast three live games on both its HD as well as SD channels and one on its NBA India website per week. The matches which will be telecast live in the morning (in sync with the telecast in the US) will have repeats during Indian prime time for local audiences to catch up on the action.
The tournament has a raging sponsor list consisting of SAP, Coca-Cola, Nike, Reebok, Spalding and Sprite. This is a clear indication of the ground work done by NBA which had set up its base in Mumbai two years ago.
The channel was keen to partner with the NBA in order to promote other sports apart from cricket which could have a future and attract potential new viewers. "Basketball has a great future and partnering with NBA is the right way ahead," says Multi Screen Media COO NP Singh.
Sony Six is positioning itself as a sports and entertainment channel, which is what appeals to the youth.
Just like the IPL, JAM will be a mix of sports, dance and music. If Twitter statistics are to be believed, the NBA claims to have a fan following of half a million in India. And outside of the US, of the countries which follow Twitter, India is the fifth on the list of countries following NBA.
Trying to reach out to the untapped potential here, NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco says, "Our focus is to increase the fan following by getting more youth - both girls and boys - to be interested in the game. The plan is to recreate the NBA experience in a smaller way."
To promote the game, the channel has brought in basketball biggie Chris Bosh to educate people about his experiences and also localise the sport to cater to Indian tastes. Sony Six is also using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to attract more fans to the game.
Two-time defending NBA Champion and eight-time All-Star Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat who is touring India to promote NBA says, "I had never thought I would be where I am today. I was lucky but I just want to say that never give up on your dreams."
The channel also plans to include Hindi commentary for the game in the future, once people are familiar with the format. "The intent and the ambition are definitely there. Hindi commentary for cricket has been a success and has taken the game deeper in the country," says an optimistic Singh. NBA will not be telecast on any other channel.
Matching up to the willow game in popularity can be a daunting task but Colaco says, "That is not our aim. NBA wants to create a place for itself in the lives of people, giving them the qualities of competitiveness, discipline, team work and most of all a healthy lifestyle."
Certainly the NBA seems to have big plans for India.
But will it pass the hoop with Indian viewers? Or will they deflect it on the way into the basket?
Courtesy: indiantelevision.com
The association will host a basketball tournament called JAM across Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in September. The game format will be a three-on-three tournament, culminating in a final against three NBA legends (who so far have not been disclosed). Boys in the age groups of 16-18 and 19-23 will compete to reach the finals. a similar format has been planned for the girls as well. The final match tentatively will be played at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, Bandra on 29 September.
Sony Six has entered into a contract (the number of years remain undisclosed) with NBA to broadcast three live games on both its HD as well as SD channels and one on its NBA India website per week. The matches which will be telecast live in the morning (in sync with the telecast in the US) will have repeats during Indian prime time for local audiences to catch up on the action.
The tournament has a raging sponsor list consisting of SAP, Coca-Cola, Nike, Reebok, Spalding and Sprite. This is a clear indication of the ground work done by NBA which had set up its base in Mumbai two years ago.
The channel was keen to partner with the NBA in order to promote other sports apart from cricket which could have a future and attract potential new viewers. "Basketball has a great future and partnering with NBA is the right way ahead," says Multi Screen Media COO NP Singh.
Sony Six is positioning itself as a sports and entertainment channel, which is what appeals to the youth.
Just like the IPL, JAM will be a mix of sports, dance and music. If Twitter statistics are to be believed, the NBA claims to have a fan following of half a million in India. And outside of the US, of the countries which follow Twitter, India is the fifth on the list of countries following NBA.
Trying to reach out to the untapped potential here, NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco says, "Our focus is to increase the fan following by getting more youth - both girls and boys - to be interested in the game. The plan is to recreate the NBA experience in a smaller way."
To promote the game, the channel has brought in basketball biggie Chris Bosh to educate people about his experiences and also localise the sport to cater to Indian tastes. Sony Six is also using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to attract more fans to the game.
Two-time defending NBA Champion and eight-time All-Star Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat who is touring India to promote NBA says, "I had never thought I would be where I am today. I was lucky but I just want to say that never give up on your dreams."
The channel also plans to include Hindi commentary for the game in the future, once people are familiar with the format. "The intent and the ambition are definitely there. Hindi commentary for cricket has been a success and has taken the game deeper in the country," says an optimistic Singh. NBA will not be telecast on any other channel.
Matching up to the willow game in popularity can be a daunting task but Colaco says, "That is not our aim. NBA wants to create a place for itself in the lives of people, giving them the qualities of competitiveness, discipline, team work and most of all a healthy lifestyle."
Certainly the NBA seems to have big plans for India.
But will it pass the hoop with Indian viewers? Or will they deflect it on the way into the basket?
Courtesy: indiantelevision.com
