Star India to launch multi-lingual channel Star Sports 3 on 15 Sep
MUMBAI: Star India is launching a multi-lingual sports channel Star Sports 3 thereby taking forward its strategy of offering sports content in regional languages.
Star Sports 3 will offer audio feeds in the local language of respective states. To begin with, the channel will broadcast Indian Super League (ISL) in Hindi.
The channel will also offer audio feeds for key regional markets like Kannada in Karnataka, Malayalam in Kerala, Telugu in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, and Marathi in Maharashtra/Goa. Going forward, more language feeds will also be explored.
The new channel will also allow Star to accommodate more live sports content in case there is a clash of multiple sports events.
The broadcaster has got the ministry of information and broadcasting’s (MIB) approval to launch Star Sports 3 in place of Channel V, which is going to shut down.
Star has issued a notice stating that Channel V will cease to be available in India from 14 September. It will be replaced with Star Sports 3 from 15 September.
“Star Sports 3 will be a multi-lingual channel offering popular content. Star is testing the market through this channel,” said a source close to the development.
The source also stated that the company has not abandoned the plan to launch regional sports channels in Kannada, Bengali, Malayalam, and Telugu.
Currently, Star has two regional sports channels Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Tamil. Both the channels have gained tremendous traction.
Commenting on the new channel, Star Sports CEO Gautam Thakar said, “India’s appetite for sports beyond cricket is growing and viewers are expecting good quality broadcast of a wide range of sports. To cater to this need, we are launching a new channel Star Sports 3, and to begin with, we will broadcast the Hero ISL Season 5 in Hindi. In line with our commitment of fostering a multi-sports culture in the country, we have grown our sports portfolio and its offerings and we will continue to actively invest in it.”
Earlier, the broadcaster had planned to launch Star Sports 1 Kannada in place of Channel V. It had even got the MIB approval prior to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite clearances, it didn’t go ahead with Star Sports 1 Kannada.
After issuing a notice informing about the discontinuation of Channel V in October 2017 and the launch of Star Sports 1 Kannada from 16 November, Star had issued a corrigendum withdrawing the earlier notice.
