Prasar Bharati has announced that Doordarshan will telecast the T20 World Cup, set to take place in the West Indies and USA starting June 2, on the DD Free Dish platform.
This marks the beginning of a high-profile sports coverage lineup that includes several major international events. Following the T20 World Cup, viewers can look forward to coverage of the Paris Olympic Games (July 26 – August 11, 2024), Paris Paralympic Games (August 28 – September 8, 2024), International Cricket Series between India and Zimbabwe (July 6 – July 11, 2024), India and Sri Lanka (July 27 – August 7, 2024), and the finals of the French Open (June 8 & 9, 2024) and Wimbledon (July 13 & 14, 2024), the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said in a press release.
The announcement was made by Prasar Bharati CEO, Gaurav Dwivedi, during a media interaction in New Delhi. Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju, along with Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal, CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, and Doordarshan DG Kanchan Prasad, also launched a special anthem ‘Jazba’ for the T20 World Cup sung by Sukhwinder Singh.
Additionally, a promo for the T20 event narrated by the renowned storyteller Neelesh Misra was unveiled.
Doordarshan has reached agreements with global sports organizations such as the NBA and PGTA to showcase their content on DD Sports.
The NBA’s e-sports property NBA 2K League matches are already being telecast on the channel. Prasar Bharati is in advanced negotiations with various sports bodies to further expand their sports content offerings on DD Sports.
Gaurav Dwivedi highlighted the comprehensive preparations made by Doordarshan and All India Radio for the upcoming election vote-counting process on Tuesday. Over the past year, DD Sports has produced and telecast numerous multi-sport events across India, including the Khelo India University Games in North East India, Khelo India Youth Games in Tamil Nadu, National Games in Goa, Khelo India Para Games in New Delhi, and Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg and Leh. These events were not only broadcast on DD Sports but also shared with private channels like Star Sports, Jio Cinema, and Sony Network.
Doordarshan also produced the world feed for cricket matches at the Hangzhou Asian Games in China, which was broadcast across several Asian countries. Last August, Doordarshan had the linear television rights for the Indian Cricket Team’s tour of the West Indies, providing commentary in multiple languages and regional broadcasts.
Starting with the T20 World Cup on June 2, Doordarshan aims to enhance its sports coverage through the DD Free Dish platform, strengthening its position as a premier broadcaster of major sporting events.