India’s public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati has announced the inclusion of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and National Basketball Association G League programming to its regular basketball offering on one of India’s leading free-to-air sports channels, Doordarshan (DD) Sports.
Every morning (7 am – 9 am) and evening (7 pm – 9 pm), the WNBA and NBA G League will be added to DD Sports’ twice daily basketball slots. Prasar Bharati will proceed to broadcast daily NBA material on DD Sports, such as Hardwood Classic games, Marquee Matchups, NBA Finals recaps, NBA TV specials, and Jr. NBA instructional and training videos, in addition to the WNBA and NBA G League.
Prasar Bharati owns and runs 36 satellite TV channels and over 400 radio stations in India. The broadcaster implies that its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) platform, which includes 167 TV channels (including 76 private channels) and 48 radio channels, reaches more than 43 million homes.
Mayank Agarwal, Director General, Doordarshan, said, “DD Sports has a unique place in India as the only destination on television for sports development. We have been in the process of reinvigorating the content of DD Sports, and the WNBA and G League adds to the variety of offerings in the sports cluster. We aim to create easy access for fans in India and educate them further about one of the world’s most popular sports.”
Sunny Malik, Head of Global Content and Media Distribution, NBA India, commented, “Our relationship with Prasar Bharati allows us to bring the excitement of professional basketball to millions of households across India. In addition to some of the most iconic games and moments from the NBA’s storied 75-year history, fans in India can now also enjoy dynamic WNBA and NBA G League programming.”
The NBA G League is the NBA’s official minor league that prepares players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office employees for the NBA while also serving as the league’s research & development laboratory. The league, which features 29 teams, 28 of which have direct associations with NBA franchises for 2021-22, provides professional basketball in a welcoming environment.