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Today, we’ll see the end of the complication that has been the basket of STAR India’s sports channels. We have STAR Sports, ESPN STAR, STAR Cricket, and so on.
Often, viewers have no clue where to look for their favourite show. Now, it’s all changed, as STAR, done with the marriage to ESPN, rechristens their offerings. It’s now simple: STAR Sports 1, 2, 3, 4 and STAR Sports HD1 and HD2.
What does this mean for the viewer? Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, STAR India, explains it to us. “We have, from today, changed the names of our channels. So now, consumers will see STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, ESPN, as just one identity. The sports channel will say STAR Sports, that’s the first change that they will notice. And fundamentally, what it means is that they will see a lot more of sports, both in terms of cricket and other games, across these channels.”
“I’m not just talking about international cricket, but even domestic cricket. Let’s say an India VS West Indies match is on and some domestic cricket is happening at the same time, say a Ranji match. Viewers will be able to see it on the sports network. Beyond this, they will be able to see a lot of football, hockey, badminton and other sports. So, that’s the big change that they would see,” says Gupta.
And it’s more than a sixer – STAR Sports’ dotcom offering strengthens the portfolio. “Beyond this (the channels), they will see Live Streaming & Latest News of Cricket, Football & Other Sports on Star Sports , where we’ll be carrying the same content, live, and they can view all the sports that we offer on television, even on the dot com. You can download an app, see it on the web or with the help of your mobile network operator. All this content is live, as you desire,” adds Gupta.
Gupta talks of the significant investments STAR has made in sports, and, for the first time, clearly quantifies the investment.
Gupta says, “We’re investing over Rs 20,000 crores at this point of time. We believe that it is going into two things fundamentally – one is doubling down on cricket – really investing in giving better quality to cricket. So, we’re taking cricket into many more languages. Beyond the international and domestic that I talked about, we will be investing in putting a 24/7 channel in Hindi.”
“In the few quarters to come, we’ll see many more languages — Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali as well. Beyond this, we’re investing in a big way into other sports like the Hockey League that you would have seen a few quarters back, the Badminton League – which came on air, and the Football League – which we just announced, with ING and Reliance. Fundamentally, we’re going into shaping those leagues, not just place TV content on air,” says Gupta.
STAR makes sports a six-channel offering | Firstpost
Often, viewers have no clue where to look for their favourite show. Now, it’s all changed, as STAR, done with the marriage to ESPN, rechristens their offerings. It’s now simple: STAR Sports 1, 2, 3, 4 and STAR Sports HD1 and HD2.
What does this mean for the viewer? Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, STAR India, explains it to us. “We have, from today, changed the names of our channels. So now, consumers will see STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, ESPN, as just one identity. The sports channel will say STAR Sports, that’s the first change that they will notice. And fundamentally, what it means is that they will see a lot more of sports, both in terms of cricket and other games, across these channels.”
“I’m not just talking about international cricket, but even domestic cricket. Let’s say an India VS West Indies match is on and some domestic cricket is happening at the same time, say a Ranji match. Viewers will be able to see it on the sports network. Beyond this, they will be able to see a lot of football, hockey, badminton and other sports. So, that’s the big change that they would see,” says Gupta.
And it’s more than a sixer – STAR Sports’ dotcom offering strengthens the portfolio. “Beyond this (the channels), they will see Live Streaming & Latest News of Cricket, Football & Other Sports on Star Sports , where we’ll be carrying the same content, live, and they can view all the sports that we offer on television, even on the dot com. You can download an app, see it on the web or with the help of your mobile network operator. All this content is live, as you desire,” adds Gupta.
Gupta talks of the significant investments STAR has made in sports, and, for the first time, clearly quantifies the investment.
Gupta says, “We’re investing over Rs 20,000 crores at this point of time. We believe that it is going into two things fundamentally – one is doubling down on cricket – really investing in giving better quality to cricket. So, we’re taking cricket into many more languages. Beyond the international and domestic that I talked about, we will be investing in putting a 24/7 channel in Hindi.”
“In the few quarters to come, we’ll see many more languages — Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali as well. Beyond this, we’re investing in a big way into other sports like the Hockey League that you would have seen a few quarters back, the Badminton League – which came on air, and the Football League – which we just announced, with ING and Reliance. Fundamentally, we’re going into shaping those leagues, not just place TV content on air,” says Gupta.
STAR makes sports a six-channel offering | Firstpost
