‘Major milestone’ as Baseball United to bring game to Indian audiences

DUBAI: Baseball United, the first professional league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, has announced a partnership with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., the leading media and entertainment company, to deliver games live to millions in India.

The collaboration with Z includes coverage of all 21 of Baseball United’s Season One games this November and December, and several primetime matches featuring the Mumbai Cobras, India’s first professional franchise.

Baseball United’s games will air on three of Z’s leading linear channels — Zee Cafe SD, &Flix SD and &Pictures HD — and stream on the Zee 5 app. Broadcasts will be in English and Hindi.

Baseball United’s inaugural season will include the league’s four founding franchises — Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and Mumbai Cobras.

The partnership includes full supplementary content on Zee 5, including player features, ballpark highlights, Baseball 101 clips, behind-the-scenes segments, and an original documentary on the building of the league.

Z will support the partnership with four weeks of promotion across its network, with teasers, ad spots, lower-thirds, and additional branded content. Both Baseball United and Z will also collaborate on social media posts and campaigns.

The league’s season begins with a historic matchup, as Mumbai takes on Karachi for a three-game “Subcontinent Series” on Nov. 14, 15 and 16.

The series will mark the first games in history for both franchises, as well as the first India-Pakistan professional matchups. The teams’ rosters have players from 25 countries, including six Indians on the Mumbai franchise.

Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United said he was excited at the collaboration with