The sports entity, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has announced that Viacom18 has acquired the exclusive media rights of the Indian top-flight football, the Indian Super League (ISL).
In this development, the Indian media broadcasting conglomerate will be the ‘new home of Indian football’ for the upcoming two seasons. The 10th edition of the ISL commences on September 21 with Kerala Blasters taking on Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
Indian football enthusiasts can enjoy the competition on Sports18 and JioCinema, Viacom18’s TV and OTT platforms, respectively. In addition, the live-action on JioCinema can be viewed for free.
Football Sports Development Limited Spokesperson said, “We are pleased to have Viacom18 as our media rights partner for the Indian Super League. When we set on our journey of ISL, we had the vision to revolutionise the Indian football ecosystem. As we enter our 10th year of growing football in India, it is great to associate with a partner who shares the same vision and believes in growing the consumption of football in the country. Viacom18’s proven record and impact in offering a fan-first football experience to the Indian audience, starting with the FIFA Football World Cup, makes them the best partner as we enter the next decade of growing Indian football.”
Viacom18 Media Private Limited Spokesperson, said, “Winning the streaming and broadcast rights to the ISL is a big step forward for us in the direction of building a glittering stable of footballing action. The ISL has led the resurgence of Indian football in recent years and coming on board with the league as the exclusive media partner enables us to contribute to the development of the sport in the country. We believe this is an exciting time in Indian football and through our extensive presentation of the league we aim to stoke a renewed interest in the heart of every Indian football lover.”
The Reliance-backed entity continues to strengthen its stature in the sports broadcasting arena with this affiliation as Viacom18’s portfolio currently also consists of the BCCI’s home international fixtures, Indian Premier League (IPL), Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, Major League Cricket (MLC), MotoGP, Women’s Premier League (WPL), Paris 2024, Cricket South Africa (CSA) and SA20