The Glasgow Rangers Partner With India Broadcast Company Star Sports
The Glasgow Rangers signed a broadcast partnership with Indian broadcast company Star Sports after the team acquired the regional rights to Scotland’s top-flight soccer league for the 2020–2021 season.
The Rangers are essentially acting as the Scottish Professional Football League’s sales agent in India. The two entities agreed on a deal with the Disney-owned pay-tv network in India to stream matches and give fans ‘unique access’ to various behind the scenes content.
In addition to the Premiership coverage, the deal includes the exclusive rights to pit the Rangers against Bengaluru FC at Ibrox next summer.
In addition to the Rangers games, Star Sports plans to broadcast 15 other Premiership games throughout the season.
The move is a deliberate attempt to continue the Rangers commercial push into the Indian sub-continent. Last September the club also signed a two-year strategic partnership with the Indian Super League.
“The signing of the broadcast deal will give Rangers and the SPFL Premiership unprecedented visibility in India and with it a unique opportunity for both the club and Star Sports to develop commercially,” stated James Bisgrove, Rangers’ director of commercial and marketing.
The growth of the game is also beginning to seep into the women’s game. Last year, the Rangers female equivalent signed India’s Bala Devi, making her the country’s first professional soccer player. In India, she was the national team’s top scorer and former captain.
