Five more years of NBA basketball and (with new content!) on Sony SIX in India

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sony SIX - a television channel operated by Multi Screen Media (MSM) - are set to extend their profitable and high-profile marriage for five more years, in a deal estimated at around Rs. 250 crore (reported NitiCentral). The deal allows MSM and Sony SIX to continue to hold broadcast rights for NBA games and related NBA programmes in India.

This is great news all the way through. The partnership between MSM and the NBA was first announced in the 2010-11 season. A few years ago, the NBA and Sony SIX made a landmark decision to show two live NBA games daily during the course of the regular season, adding to a mammoth 14 live NBA games in India per week! As time passed and the NBA's popularity and viewership grew, SIX added many more supporting programmes to their NBA package, including India's first wrap-up show NBA Weekly, an Indian version of the iconic NBA Inside Stuff, grassroots events like NBA Jam from India, and more.

This season, all of the above is set to continue: two games everyday during the season, special All Star Weekend, Playoffs, and Finals coverage, condensed version of games at primetime in India, and other wrap-up shows. Additionally, IndianTelevision.com reported that Sony SIX will also create customized lifestyle-oriented, off-the-court programming from the NBA, Sony entertainment and Bollywood.

Via IndianTelevision.com

Sony SIX and KIX business head Prasana Krishnan commented, "Our partnership with the NBA has seen basketball become the fastest growing sport in India over the last few years. This clearly indicates that the TV viewing audience for the NBA will continue to rise. The launch of our customized local LIVE NBA wraparound program will also bring sports fans closer to the on-court action."
NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco asserted, "We are excited to extend our partnership with Sony SIX to continue delivering comprehensive coverage of the NBA to our fans. The popularity of the NBA continues to grow and, through the diversity of NBA programming on Sony SIX, we will continue attracting and engaging with existing and new viewers alike across India."
Sony SIX will continue to broadcast daily and weekly NBA highlight shows and integrate daily content from NBA TV, including team previews and recap shows. The daily 30-minute highlight programs will be broadcast in prime time every day of the season. The weekly highlight shows, hosted by a local anchor, will recap all the happenings around the NBA during the past week.
For the first time in India, the NBA and Sony SIX will introduce a customized, local live NBA wraparound program every weekend throughout the season, bringing viewers closer to the game. The program will be hosted by a panel of basketball experts that will provide analysis and insight on all of the latest NBA news.

During the previous NBA Finals, Sony SIX's Krishnan had also mentioned the channels desire to chase viewership, not brands, while Colaco added that the NBA has been growing at 'triple digit percentile' in every aspect, including merchandise, social media engagement, and TV viewership in India.

The upcoming season's broadcast on Sony SIX is set to begin on October 24th (this Saturday!), while the new NBA season tips off on Wednesday, October 28th!

David Stern in India to launch comprehensive NBA Cares programme

NBA-India Official Press Release - Mumbai: The National Basketball Association (NBA), Multi Screen Media, the NBA’s broadcast partner in India, and Magic Bus, a non-profit organization that works with youth from vulnerable communities, on Monday announced a partnership to develop a comprehensive NBA Cares program in India. Through this partnership, weekly basketball programs will be used to promote education, health, and fitness to boys and girls ages 7-14 starting in June 2013.

The announcement was made today by NBA Commissioner David Stern, Multi Screen Media CEO Manjit Singh, and Magic Bus CEO and Founder Matthew Spacie at a Magic Bus NBA Cares clinic for underprivileged youth at the Mastan YMCA in Mumbai, India.

The event is part of Stern’s first trip to India. The NBA, which opened its first office in Mumbai in 2011, has conducted more than 450 grassroots events in 10 cities in India over the last five years.

Magic Bus and the NBA will identify a community in Mumbai and launch a pilot program for underprivileged youth that will include a jointly-developed basketball curriculum. The program will include intensive weekly sessions that will feature basketball activities and teach life skills in the areas of education, gender equality, health, and fitness. The program is part of Magic Bus' “sport for development” approach that has positively impacted 250,000 children and 8,000 youth across India to date.

“Social responsibility is an important part of our mission,” said Stern. “We are proud to work with our partners at Magic Bus and Multi Screen Media to promote the values inherent to our game -- dedication, discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship -- and the importance of fitness and good health among Indian youth.”

Basketball also will be integrated into existing Magic Bus programs in 12 Indian communities and NBA coaches will conduct basketball and fitness clinics for youth enrolled in each community. NBA legends and players who travel to India in the next year will also participate in clinics for Magic Bus youth.

“We are thrilled to partner with the NBA to pilot a program where we will use basketball as a base for our award-winning ‘sport for development’ curriculum,” said Spacie. “The Magic Bus curriculum works to help provide youth with guidance to make dignified life choices from childhood to adulthood, and integrating basketball as a sport for development can diversify our program benefits to help more and more children learn and grow.”

“We at Multi Screen Media are committed to Magic Bus as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility program,” said Singh. “This is a great collaboration aimed to bring basketball to under privileged children. It will help children compete in a new sport and become active and improve their health. The NBA and Magic Bus will provide a great platform for under privileged children across the country to showcase and nurture their talent.”

Sony SIX, India’s premier sports channel, is aimed at youth in India who are interested in a diverse variety of sports. Sony SIX, together with the NBA, endeavors to inspire youth across India to play basketball and provide them opportunities to excel in the sport. Sony SIX will highlight the achievement of Indian athletes in basketball along with providing exclusive coverage of the NBA in India.

The NBA opened an office in Mumbai in 2011 and has hosted more than 450 events in 10 cities over the last five years.

In India, NBA Games will be broadcast only on Sony SIX this season

First, the good news: In a press release yesterday, the NBA announced that they have partnered with Multi Screen Media (MSM) for a multi-year television broadcast deal in India. Continuing over from last year, MSM’s new sports channel Sony SIX will continue to show live NBA games in India all season. There will be a lot more than games actually: SIX will broadcast some original NBA programming, and more interestingly, focus on customised NBA programmes from India itself. This, the NBA says, will help focus on engaging Indian youth by bringing together talent from the NBA, Sony Entertainment, and Bollywood.

Click here to read full post.