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Sirius Satellite Radio, NBA hatch multi-year deal
MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sirius Satellite Radio in the US have announced a multi-year agreement.
This expands upon their current broadcast arrangement and makes Sirius an official NBA marketing partner.
The two parties have launched NBA Radio on Sirius. This is the first 24X7, year-round radio channel devoted to the NBA. It features content from NBA TV, including news, highlights and features on the league, its teams and players, and will showcase specialized programming that will be heard exclusively on Sirius.
This deal makes Sirius the broadcaster of more live NBA games than any other radio outlet. As part of their original agreement, in February 2003, the NBA became the first major professional sports league to provide live games on Sirius.
Sirius features more than 1,000 regular season games, plus every game of the NBA playoffs and the finals. Sirius has the exclusive national satellite radio rights to NBA team radio broadcasts and will air regular season games from every NBA team.
Throughout the regular season, Sirius will air the home team’s local radio broadcast. During the NBA playoffs and the finals, Sirius will offer the home team, visiting team and national radio broadcasts.
In India, NBA action airs on Star Sports.
NBA commissioner David Stern says, “Sirius is the content leader in satellite radio and this deal deepens our partnership by delivering more NBA games and programming to our fans and provides new marketing opportunities for Sirius to promote its product and brand. Expanding our partnership with Sirius reinforces our belief in their continued growth and our commitment to embrace all forms of new media.”
Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin says, “The NBA is one of the most powerful names in sports and Sirius is excited to partner with this first-class organisation. The NBA draws an ever-larger audience of passionate fans from all across America and those fans will have access to more NBA basketball on Sirius than anywhere else on radio. This agreement is a significant enhancement to our superior sports lineup and underscores our ongoing commitment to bring the best sports programming to Sirius subscribers.”
As the official satellite radio marketing partner of the NBA, Sirius will conduct NBA-themed advertising and promotions with the NBA logo.
On NBA.com, the league’s official Web site that claims to generate more than 2.75 million visitors per day, Sirius will feature advertising, logo placement and a reciprocal link to Sirius.com. Sirius’ NBA programming schedule and channel listings will be available on NBA.com.
Sirius will also have a presence in the world’s only NBA Store, located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which receives one million visitors each year. The NBA Store will feature a fully interactive Sirius display for the duration of each NBA season with a listening station that will allow customers to sample Sirius radios and programming. For select weeks, Sirius signage and products will be displayed in store windows and visitors to the NBA Store will receive a Sirius brochure/insert with every purchase.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
