MUMBAI: Shortly after its successful regional foray with the launch of Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports in its relentless pursuit of bringing fans closer to sports launches India’s first private free-to-air sports channel, Star Sports First. The channel will go on air on 21 July on DD’s FTA DTH platform Freedish. This will allow sports fans and enthusiasts to watch their favourite sports, in Hindi, without paying any subscription fee.

Besides a very rich funnel of sports content, the channel will also air the much-awaited VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season 5, which will begin in Hyderabad on 28 July, 2017. In addition, the channel’s programme calendar will also include BCCI domestic cricket tournaments, domestic football tournament etc.

A Star India spokesperson said: “Television penetration in India has grown exponentially. We recognise that there is a very sizeable subset of this universe that is not on conventional pay TV. In the 'Free-to-air' content that they have access to, sports content is mostly absent and only sporadically available. It is our belief that there is, however, an eager appetite for it and that is the reason to launch SS First. We believe tens of millions of fans will be created for many different sports offerings through our content bouquet.”

“Kya aapki life se sports action missing hai”, asks former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the film ‘Star Sports First, Aana Hai First’, capturing the essence of the launch of the FTA channel. The TVC runs fans through a diverse range of sports that will now be accessible on the Star Sports First channel.

The launch of Star Sports First is supported by a 360-degree marketing campaign, Star Sports First, Aana Hai First, which includes television, radio, OOH and on-ground activations.