Veqta, India’s only digital broadcast network (OTT) dedicated to sports, has announced its partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), the world’s top baseball league from USA.
It is the first of its kind multi-year partnership through which Veqta will give baseball fans in India access to the league for the first time. The deal follows reports that MLB had been looking to ink wider distribution deals for the brand, including a potential tie up with Facebook for live streaming.
This partnership will help build a larger fan base for baseball in the region. Veqta will be the official home of Major League Baseball in India, with exclusive long term OTT rights. Veqta will serve the widest offering of MLB games ever in India, with over 20 live games each week during the regular season (April through September); and full coverage of the league’s ‘Jewel Events’ — All-Star Game (July), Wild Card Games, Division Series, League Championship Series, and the World Series (October/November).
Veqta,with its key partnerships with global sports bodies, will additionally serve over 6000 hours of live sports content in 2017 across Tennis, Fight Sports,Motorsports, Football, Basketball, Rugby, Athletics, and of course Baseball.
VikramTanwar, co- founder and director of VEQTA, said: “I feel that there is still a lack of width and depth as far as sports coverage in India is concerned and the sports fans in India do have an inherent need to have a wider and deeper access to global sports. Continuing on this endeavour to bring great coverage of sports from around the world, we have partnered with Major League Baseball, one of the most Iconic leagues in the world, and through this partnership baseball fans in India will have access to exclusive content not available in its entirety in any other platform in the country.”
MLB is amongst the largest league systems by revenue across any sport. It is also the world’s biggest league by total attendance with over 73 million fans attending MLB games in 2016.
Dominick Balsamo, vice president international media sales and marketing partnerships for Major League Baseball, said: “We are excited about this new partnership and pleased to welcome VEQTA as the OTT home for Major League Baseball in India. MLB on VEQTA will serve Indian baseball fans with comprehensive coverage of the league from Opening Day through the World Series, and present the game on an exciting platform that promises to attract new baseball fans and players in India.”
