Star India snaps up Olympics rights in south Asia

The Star India broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has acquired rights for the Olympic Games in seven countries in southern Asia.

The deal covers the 2014 winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the second edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing next year.

The agreement covers all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile, in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

International Olympic Committee finance commission chairman Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations, said: “Traditionally the IOC has negotiated broadcast rights on a pan-Asian basis; however, the media landscape is changing and we have adapted our approach recently by negotiating directly in certain markets. We are very pleased to have reached this agreement directly with Star India.”

Nitin Kukreja, head of sport business for Star India, added: “We value our partnership with the IOC and feel that this spectacular extravaganza can be taken to even greater heights in India on both television as well as on digital platforms.”