Star Sports (Indian TV network)
Star Sports (Formerly ESPN Star Sports) is a group of Indian multinational cricket centric pay television sports channels owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. Previously a part of ESPN Star Sports with its operations based in Singapore, Disney Star took over the Indian business and relaunched channels under the unified Star Sports brand in 2013. Star Sports is the official broadcaster of Indian cricket.
 | |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Network | Disney Star |
| Headquarters | Star House, Urmi Estate, 95 Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai-400 013, India |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Hindi Bengali English Kannada Malayalam Tamil Telugu |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV, (downscaled to letterboxed 576i for the SDTV feeds) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Disney Star |
| History | |
| Launched | 21 August 1991 |
| Links | |
| Website | Official Website TV Schedule |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| TV Lanka Digital TV (Sri Lanka) | Channel 37 (1 HD) Channel 38 (2 HD) |
| Streaming media | |
| Hotstar | (India, Canada, United States, United Kingdom and parts of Southeast Asia) |
History
Hong Kong-based Star TV launched Prime Sports (later renamed Star Sports) in partnership with American company TCI, which owned Prime-branded regional sports channels. The channel was broadcast across Asia, including India, as with the footprint of AsiaSat 7. Star TV has since regionalized the channel with several versions. Later, ESPN joined the region as a competitor to Star Sports.
ESPN and Star Sports were competing against each other across Asia.[1] But in October 1996, both channels agreed to combine their operations in the region.[2] As a result, a joint venture named ESPN Star Sports was formed, to be headquartered in Singapore.[3] The joint venture's business in India was managed by its subsidiary, ESPN Software India Private Limited.
In June 2012, it was announced that News Corporation would buy ESPN International's share in ESPN Star Sports.[4][5] In 2013, Star India acquired ESPN Software India from ESPN Star Sports,[6] but kept ESPN brand for a while.[7] ESPN International later established a partnership with what is now Sony Pictures Networks India in October 2015, and relaunched Sony Kix as Sony ESPN in January 2016. Sony ESPN was shut down in March 2020.
On 11 March 2013, Star Sports 2, a Hindi language sports channel, was launched as a sister channel to Star Sports, Star Cricket and ESPN.[8]
On 6 November 2013, Star India relaunched its sports channels under Star Sports brand: Star Sports became Star Sports 1;[9] Star Cricket became Star Sports 3, a Hindi language channel; ESPN became Star Sports 4, a Tamil language channel; Star Cricket HD and ESPN HD became Star Sports HD1 and HD2 respectively.[10][11] (Star Sports 3 and 4 were later renamed Star Sports 1 Hindi and 1 Tamil, respectively.) This was in contrast to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, where Fox International Channels Asia Pacific relaunched ESPN as Fox Sports on 28 January 2013,[12][13] and rebranded Star Sports as Fox Sports 2 on 15 August 2014.[14][15]
Star India planned to replace the troubled Channel V India with Star Sports 1 Kannada on 16 November 2017, but the delay in regulatory approval meant the plan was postponed. Later, Star India replaced Channel V into the current iteration of Star Sports 3 on 15 September 2018,[16][17][18][19] and launched Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada as new channels on 7 and 29 December 2018, respectively.[20][21] In the meantime, the Kannada commentary of Star Sports' coverage of Indian Premier League was broadcast on Star Suvarna.[22] Sanjog Gupta is the CEO of Star Sports.[23]
Channels
| Channel | Language | SD/HD availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Sports 1 | English | SD+HD | |
| Star Sports 2 | English | ||
| Star Sports 3 | English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu | SD | |
| Star Sports Select 1 | English | SD+HD | |
| Star Sports Select 2 | |||
| Star Sports First | English, Hindi | SD | |
| Star Sports 1 Hindi | Hindi | SD+HD | |
| Star Sports 1 Tamil | Tamil | SD | |
| Star Sports 1 Telugu | Telugu | ||
| Star Sports 1 Kannada | Kannada | ||
| Star Sports 1 Malayalam | Malayalam | Launching Soon |
Defunct channels
| Channel | Language | SD/HD availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Sports 1 Bangla | Bangla | SD | Replaced by Jalsha Josh |
| Star Sports 1 Marathi | Marathi | Replaced by Pravah Picture |
Programming
Sports events rights acquired by Star Sports and Star Sports Select:-
Country Professional Badminton Leagues
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Premier Badminton League:- 2022 2023 |
 India |
Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Domestic Cricket
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Ranji Trophy:- 2021–22 2022–23 |
India |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English and Hindi Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Final Star Sports 2 HD (In English and Hindi) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
| 2) Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:- 2021–22 2022–23 |
India |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English And Hindi) | Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Other Domestic Cricket
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) CSA T20 Challenge:-(2022–23, 2023–24) |  South Africa |
Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) | Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Domestic Cricket Leagues
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Tamil Nadu Premier League:- |
India |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Tamil HD |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
International Cricket
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| International Cricket Council (2022–present) 1) ICC World Test Championship (Final Only):- (2021–2023) 2) Cricket World Cup (2023) 3) ICC Men's T20 World Cup (2022) 4) Under-19 Cricket World Cup (2022) 1) Women's Cricket World Cup (2025) 2) ICC Women's T20 World Cup (2023) |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 2 HD (In English) Star Sports 3 HD (In Hindi) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Continental Cricket
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Cricket Council (2022–present) 1) Asia Cup:- 2022 2) Women's Asia Cup:- 2022 3) ACC Under-19 Cup:- |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Country Cricket
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| International Cricket In India:- (2022–present) | Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
International Cricket In South Africa (2022–present)
|
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD Non-Indian matches Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Country Professional Cricket Leagues
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Indian Premier League:- |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 2 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD (In Hindi, Tamil, Telugu) Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD Star Gold HD (In Hindi) Star Gold 2 HD (In Hindi) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Continental Football
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Football Confederation | Star Sports 1 (In English) Star Sports 1 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
- India national football team
- AIFF Super Cup
- AFC Asian Cup qualification
- AFC Asian Cup
- AFC Cup (Matches of Indian Clubs)
- AFC Champions League (Matches of Indian Clubs)
Country Professional Football Leagues
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Indian Super League:- 2022–23 2023–24 |
India |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 2 HD (In English) Star Sports 3 (In Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu) Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
| Premier League (2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25) |  England |
Star Sports 2 HD (In English) Star Sports 3 (In Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu) Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
International Hockey
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| 1) International Hockey Federation:- (2022–present) 1) Men's FIH Pro League:- (Only India Matches) (2021–22) 2) Women's FIH Pro League:- (Only India Matches) |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Motorsport
| Events | Channels |
|---|---|
| Formula 1 | Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) Star Sports 3 |
| Formula E | Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD |
Country Professional Kabaddi Leagues
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Kabaddi League |
India |
Star Sports 1 HD (In English) Star Sports 2 HD (In English) Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada HD Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Mixed Martial Arts
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONE Championship |  Singapore |
Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Country Professional ATP 250 Tennis Championship
| Events | Host | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra Open (2022)[26] | India |
Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Country Grand Slam Tennis
| Events | Channels | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Wimbledon:- |
Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
| 2) US Open:- |
Star Sports Select 1 HD (In English) Star Sports Select 2 HD (In English) |
Disney+ Hotstar (India Only) |
Extra shows
Extra Shows for entertainment of fans air on this channel which showcase highlights of the matches and info of certain teams. They include-Star Sports Cricket Live, Football United Live, KBD live, Matchday Live, Cricket Countdown, Close Encounters, Epic Comebacks, Game Plan, Follow The Blues, Knight Club,MI TV, The Super Kings Show, Inside RCB, Yeh Hain Nayi Dilli, Total KBD Raid On, Total KBD Heroes, ISL Countdown.
See also
- Fox Sports Asia (formerly ESPN Star Sports)
References
- Fabrikant, Geraldine (4 March 1996). "Broadcasters Bet on Sports As First Step In New Markets". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Rival sport channels ESPN, Star TV team up together". Advertising Age. 9 October 1996. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- Sullivan, Maureen (15 January 1997). "Asian TV team christens venture ESPN Star Sports". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- Szalai, Georg (6 June 2012). "News Corp. to Buy Out ESPN's Stake in Asian TV Venture". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Steel, Emily (7 June 2012). "News Corp to take over ESPN Star Sports". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- "ESPN STAR Sports to be under STAR in India". Business Standard. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Engineer, Tariq (31 January 2013). "As ESPN turns to Fox, expect more local Indian sports programming". Firstpost. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- "ESPN Star Sports launches new channel". Press Trust of India. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2019 – via Mint.
- "STAR SPORTS 1 LIVE - STAR SPORTS 1 HINDI TV". Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- "Star Sports: A new logo, packaging & brand identity". Indian Television. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Star junks ESPN brand, launches Star Sports with 6 channels and website". MxM. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Terrado, Reuben (9 January 2013). "ESPN fades off in Asia as Fox takes over". Spin.ph. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Chan, U-Gene (24 January 2013). "ESPN network to be renamed FOX Sports in Singapore, Asia". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Christensen, Nic (4 July 2014). "Fox to reorganises its sports channels". Mumbrella Asia. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Valisno, Jeffrey O. (26 August 2014). "Fox completes rebranding of sports channels". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- Bansal, Shuchi (16 November 2017). "Star India tuning out of Channel V". Mint. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Bhagia, Raushni (23 August 2018). "Star India to replace Channel V with Star Sports 3". Best Media Info. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Star to launch Star Sports 3, continue sports investments: Gautam Thakar". Indian Television. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Star India to launch multi-lingual channel Star Sports 3 on 15 Sep". Television Post. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Star Sports 1 Kannada to launch on 29 Dec". Television Post. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Sharma, Harsh (21 December 2018). "Star Sports Kannada all set for December 29 launch". InsideSport. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Sharma, Rajender (16 March 2018). "Star Sports Kannada licence awaits clearance; IPL live on Survana". InsideSport. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- Laghate, Gaurav (26 December 2017). "Star India hires LivingSocial CEO Gautam Thakar to head sports business". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- @starsportsindia (31 January 2022). "Bring out yours horns as the #TeamInBlue is all set to take on China in a 2-match series of the FIH Pro Hockey League in Muscat Send in your wishes for the Women in Blue #IndiaKaGame #Hockey" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via Twitter.
- @StarSportsIndia (25 February 2022). "MMA fans get ready for some action as One Full Circle is here Which is the clash are you most excited about? Tell us and catch the ONE Championship LIVE I 6.30 PM onwards I Star Sports Select1/Select 1 HD and Disney+Hotstar t.co/uFRFZF6BsB" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 February 2022 – via Twitter.
- @MaharashtraOpen (28 January 2022). "Get ready for exhilarating, hardcourt tennis action coming LIVE from Pune, January 31 onwards on @StarSportsIndia, @DisneyPlusHS, @OfficialJioTv, @Facebook and @YouTube #TataOpenMaharashtra #AdvantagePune #ATP #Tennis @msltatennis @tatacompanies @atptour @Media_SAI" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 January 2022 – via Twitter.
External links
| Sports Television in India | |
|---|---|
| Current | |
| Defunct | |
| Online streaming | |