MUMBAI,March 9, 2018– The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the first-ever broadcasts of live NBA games in India during primetime. From March 11 – April 8, 2018, the NBA will schedule a weekly game for live primetime broadcast in India every Sunday at 10:00 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY TEN 3 and SONY TEN 3 HD. This builds on the league’s NBA Sundays campaign, a weekly live primetime game on Sundayevenings in Europe and Africa.The five games airing in India will feature some of the league’s biggest stars, including the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid. As part of the live broadcasts, the NBA and SONY SIX will host a series of pregame activities, fan events and viewing parties across Mumbai and Delhi. Additionally, NBA Around the Hoop, a localized NBA wraparound studio show hosted by a panel of Indian basketball experts, will air around all five live games.
“We are excited to bring primetime games to India for the first time to help meet the growing demand fans in India have for live NBA content,” said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. “The NBA Sundays campaign is part of our continued commitment to customize exciting NBA content for local audiences, and fans in India will have access to a tremendous schedule of live games during primetime featuring some of the league’s top players.”
“Providing primetime coverage of NBA games on Sony Pictures Sports Networks gives every basketball fan easy access to all the NBA action,” said Mr. Rajesh Kaul, President, Sports and Distribution Business, Sony Pictures Networks India. “Our collaborative efforts with the NBA continue to help us engage with existing fans and develop new fans. We will strive to grow the NBA’s presence in India and expand its reach in the coming years.”
Below please find the full schedule of the NBA Sundays games in India onSONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD:
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DATE
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IST
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MATCHUP
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Sunday, March 11
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10:00 p.m.
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Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks
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Sunday, March 18
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10:00 p.m.
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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Toronto Raptors
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Sunday, March 25
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10:00 p.m.
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Cleveland Cavaliers @ Brooklyn Nets
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Sunday, April 1
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10:00 p.m.
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Philadelphia 76ers @ Charlotte Hornets
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Sunday, April 8
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10:00 p.m.
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Dallas Mavericks @ Philadelphia 76ers
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This marks the fourth season of NBA Sundays, a weekly primetime game on Sunday evenings in Europe and Africa. This season more than 25 regular-season and playoff games will be available to fans in Europe and Africa on Sundays during primetime.
The NBA’s partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) began in the 2012-13 season and includes more than 500 English and Hindi games each season. This season the NBA and SPN began broadcasting a package of nearly 100 live NBA games with Hindi commentary every weekend on Sony TEN 3 and Sony TEN 3 HD.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League, set to launch in May 2018. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.4 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.