Star India and DFL Sports Enterprises to telecast Bundesliga

The contract grants exclusive media rights to Star India across all platforms in the region.

Star India has teamed up with DFL Sports Enterprises, the sales entity of the DFL (German football league) to bring Bundesliga football to fans in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives exclusively.

Under the new license agreement covering five seasons - 2015-16 to 2019-20 - Bundesliga will be aired on the Star Sports network extending its reach in the Indian subcontinent.

Bundesliga is Germany's primary football competition contested by 18 teams. The contract grants exclusive media rights to Star India across all platforms (TV, Internet, mobile) in the region. Star Sports will broadcast Bundesliga matches on a live or delayed basis across the Indian subcontinent, as well as provide LIVE streaming of all matches on its digital platform, starsports.com.

Commenting on the development, Jorg Daubitzer, managing director, DFL Sports Enterprises, shares, "This agreement is a reflection of the success we have had in seeing the Bundesliga recognised as a premium product among leading international markets. Star India provides the ideal environment for the Bundesliga to grow and prosper in India, one of our key strategic markets."

He goes on to add, "Bundesliga will be broadcast on Star Sports alongside top football properties such the Hero Indian Super League and the English Premier League as well as other premium sports content like the ICC and BCCI cricket matches; the Summer Olympics; Formula One and Wimbledon."

According to Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India, "Our partnership with the Bundesliga is in line with our overall strategy to promote football and build heroes for the millions of sports fans in the country. The German national team won the FIFA World Cup last year and Germany's in depth grassroots programme has bred some of world's best players and teams, making the Bundesliga one of the most exciting leagues to watch."

Star India is a subsidiary of Twenty First Century Fox which also owns FOX International Channels (FIC), which already has an agreement with the Bundesliga. Together, Star India and FIC networks will provide coverage of the Bundesliga across North and South America and large parts of Asia, including India, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.