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  • #5 👀 300+ Days of Live Sport, 1 Small Team Driving the Innovation Behind It. Meet STARLAB.

#5 👀 300+ Days of Live Sport, 1 Small Team Driving the Innovation Behind It. Meet STARLAB.

Plus less than 10 days to go for Sports Tech Bootcamp

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SportsTechX
June 18, 2025

Interviews, articles, events, and everything else happening at SportsTechX.

This week we head to India - one of the most dynamic, mobile-first sports markets in the world. We spoke to Prashant Khanna, who leads studios, tech, and innovation at JioStar, the country’s largest sports broadcaster. 

Enjoy the read.

🎙️JioStar’s STARLABS: India’s biggest broadcaster

India’s biggest sports broadcaster is quietly building one of the busiest innovation pipelines in global sport. From AI-based commentary in local languages to mobile-first video formats, JioStar’s Star Labs is where many of those experiments start.

In this Sports Tech Allstars episode, we spoke with Prashant Khanna, Head of Studios, Tech & Innovation at JioStar, about how his team balances day-to-day live production with testing and rolling out new ideas that actually make it to millions of screens.

🔍 Highlights from the Episode

JioStar handles coverage for everything from the IPL and ISL to Wimbledon and the Premier League, amounting to more than 300 days of live sports a year.

📐 What Star Labs Actually Does

Star Labs was built to solve a simple problem: off-the-shelf tech rarely works at JioStar’s scale. So they started working with smaller partners - startups, researchers, even solo founders - to build and test tools early.

The team now ships:

  • 3 to 4 new innovations each year

  • Has 20+ tools in active use

  • And holds 3 patents developed through the lab

“We don’t look at single-digit millions. Our audience is in the hundreds of millions. Any new idea has to work at that level.”

🧠 Innovation in Action

Some of the projects covered in the episode:

  • AI Multilingual Commentary: Voice-mapped translations of expert commentary in local languages (Steve Smith in Hindi!)

  • MaxView: A vertical video product optimized for mobile viewers—now used across IPL and ICC events with 20%+ adoption

  • VR in 2018: Live, 360º IPL coverage delivered years before global headset adoption

🌍 Relevance for Global Innovators

  • Startups: JioStar regularly partners with small, early-stage teams - if you can demonstrate a clear benefit at scale

  • Broadcasters: Their playbook for vertical feeds and language AI offers a template for making mobile and regional viewing more immersive

  • Leagues & Federations: Star Labs shows how internal innovation units can pilot, evaluate, and implement faster than traditional vendor cycles

🧭 India’s Sports Ecosystem Is Shifting

India’s sports innovation market is still evolving but interest is growing fast across production, gaming, fitness, and fan engagement.

  • From a one-sport (cricket) culture to a multi-sport market

  • Massive mobile-first audience with rising demand for content innovation

  • Still early in investment maturity there’s lots of room for international collaboration, especially in fan tech, performance, and content tools

“We’re moving from a one-sport country to a multi-sport one. That opens up new ways to think about technology in sport.”

🕒 Less Than 10 DAYS TO GO

In just 6 weeks, the Sports Tech Bootcamp gives you an expert-led breakdown of the industry - plus access to 8,000+ startup and investor contacts.

👥 Live sessions with VCs, teams, startups & innovation leaders
📊 SportsTechDB access (8,000+ startups & investors, worth €999)
🤝 Curated peer network across global sport + tech
🧭 1:1 mentorship + tailored career guidance

🎯 For mid-senior sports professionals, founders, innovators & pivoters

💼 Only 10 seats left | 🗓 Starts June 27

Questions? Email [email protected].

📥 Download: Saudi Sport Business & Tech Report 2025

A comprehensive overview of the Saudi Arabian Sport Ecosystem in partnership with the Sports Investment Forum (SIF), with support from the Ministry of Investment.

📊 Key highlights:

  • $8.4 B Total Saudi Sport Market Size in 2024, projected as $22.5 B by 2030

  • $7 B In Investments by Saudi Arabian Entities (2020- Q1 2025)

  • 30+ Major International Events Hosted (2020 - 2024)

  • 15 New Smart Stadiums being built

  • $7.4 M Invested in Saudi based Sports Tech Startups (2020-2024)

✅ Full Report Includes:

  • Comprehensive Overview of the Saudi Sports Market, including size projections, economic impact, and Vision 2030 alignment

  • Stakeholder Map of the Saudi Sports Ecosystem, covering major regulators, investors, and enablers shaping the industry

  • Breakdown of $7B+ in Investments, Acquisitions & Sponsorships by Saudi entities across global sports properties

  • Key Growth Drivers & Trends, including:

  • a) Smart Stadium Infrastructure (15 new venues, cutting-edge tech use cases)

  • b) Esports & Gaming (Savvy Games, NEOM, 39k jobs by 2030, $37.8B commitment),

  • c) Fan Engagement Innovations (Web3, digital activations, AR/VR, social media impact)

  • Spotlight on Saudi SportsTech Startups, including investment totals, top funded startups, and market growth projections

  • Saudi Arabia’s Emergence as a Global Sports Hub, with a timeline of 30+ international events and strategic ambitions leading up to the 2034 FIFA World Cup

Saudi Arabia is reshaping the global sports map. If you’re looking to get a handle on what’s happening in this highly dynamic sports ecosystem, this report is exactly what you need.

📥 Download: Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report 2025

  • SportsTech Innovators list: Interviews with 15 leaders from funds, sports organisations and innovation programs

  • Startups to Watch in 2025

  • Breakdown of 3 hot trends in Sports Innovation & Investment

  • SportsTech Dealflow by year

  • Investment analysis across region, year, country, city & sector

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