Star gets MIB approval to launch Malayalam sports channel

Star India has received the ministry of information and broadcasting’s (MIB) approval to launch Star Sports 1 Malayalam. The broadcaster received the licence on 20th May.

Earlier, Star India had got the MIB nod to rename its licences Star Movies Kids and Star Movies Kids HD to Star Sports 1 Bangla and Star Sports 1 Marathi. Star Sports 1 Bangla launched on 5th March with an MRP of Rs 19. Star Sports 1 Marathi is yet to launch.

In December 2018, Star India MD Sanjay Gupta had stated that the launch of Star Sports 1 Kannada will be followed by the launch of Star Sports 1 Malayalam, Star Sports 1 Bengali, and Star Sports 1 Marathi.

“We launched Star Sports in Hindi followed by Tamil. Recently, we added Star Sports 1 Telugu. We are launching Star Sports in Kannada followed by Bengali, Malayalam, and Marathi. We are trying to make sports accessible to every consumer in their language at an affordable price,” Gupta had said.

Star’s sports network comprises of 16 channels including five in high definition (HD). It operates channels in six languages namely English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bangla.

Star Sports is home to a number of leading domestic and international sports. These network broadcasts premier sporting events which include cricket coverage under the purview of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian Premier League (IPL) New Zealand Cricket Board, Bangladesh Cricket Board and Asian Cricket Council (ACC); Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL); Karnataka Premier League (KPL); and Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The non-Cricket properties include Pro Kabaddi; Indian Super League (ISL), I-League, Hero Super Cup, Premier League, Bundesliga; Badminton World Federation (BWF) events, Premier Badminton League (PBL); Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT); and other premium sports such as Formula 1; Wimbledon, The French Open and US Open.