ITV

Tag: Neeraj Vyas

  • Refreshed avatar of Sony Sab unveiled

    MUMBAI: Underlining its purpose of flipping every frown and turn it upside down, Sony Sab, India’s only family humour channel, has launched its a new brand identity. The ‘re-energized’ channel will see a new line up of comedy shows, lively packaging and vibrant visuals aimed at providing an enriching and revitalised visual experience to its audiences. The new brand expression underlines the channel’s conviction “if you are not laughing, you are not living”. Sony Sab’s new creative expression encompassing new logo, tagline, brand films and new shows is aligned to its goal of making Sony Sab the comedy icon of India.

    The new avatar of Sony Sab has:

    • New logo, on air packaging, brand films
    • Fresh line-up of shows with refreshed flavor of comedy
    • New tagline – Haste Raho India
    • Varun Dhawan as Sony Sab’s Happiness Ambassador

    The new logo features happy colours including bright orange and yellow symbolising vibrancy yet comfort and warmth with a little oomph in the purple. Varun Dhawan has been roped in as a Happiness Ambassador for SAB. Varun brings in the desired youthfulness, fresh of wave energy and contemprariness to the brand. The channel promise of Haste Raho India is being brought alive through a series of brand films anchored by Varun against a fresh and energetic foot tapping music track. The new brand personality is aligned to changing aspirations of new India.

    The laughter movement is being driven by a line of shows with refreshed flavour of comedy, while keeping the core of the content intact. Recently launched ‘Sajjan Re Phir Jhoot Mat Bolo’ along with upcoming line up of shows like ‘TV, Biwi Aur Main’, ‘Tenali Rama’, ‘Shankar Jay Kishan, 3-in-1’ and ‘Aadat Se Majboor’ will herald a youthful, contemporary and relatable feel.

    There’s something for everyone, Haste Raho India! The latest look of Sony Sab will go live on 13 June, 8.30 pm.

    Sony Pictures Networks CEO NP Singh: “For over a decade, SAB has emerged as the most distinctive channel in GEC and built a sizeable loyal audience. The new, re-energized SAB is all set to deliver on the promise of Haste Raho India as its mission is to be recognized as the ‘frown flipper’ for Indian audiences. The essence of this new Avatar will be reflected in SAB’s new identity and show line-up.”

    Sony Sab and MAX cluster of channels Sr. EVP Neeraj Vyas said: “The re-energized SAB further strengthens our core proposition through a reinvigorated language of humor and a compelling purpose of making more than a billion Indians laugh more, every day. The new brand identity along with a range of new shows offering more laughter, modernity, relatability and variety, will help us strengthen the connect with our core audiences as well as attract newer audiences to the channel.”

    Varun Dhawan: “As SAB’s Happiness Ambassador, I am excited to partner with the channel to spread laughter and joy amongst millions of Indians. Having always enjoyed SAB’s distinctive content, I look forward to its fresh range of shows lined up. This refreshed flavour of comedy from SAB, will certainly kick-start a happiness movement.”

  • Sony Mix celebrates sixth year glory with renditions of idents

    MUMBAI: Sony Mix has unveiled seven renditions of their channel’s signature ident, with some of the country’s most popular singers and musicians. These renditions are an expression of what the channel stands for and seamlessly ties back to its tagline – ‘Dekho, Suno, Gungunao’.

    The music idents for Sony Mix have been created by renowned musicians like Sonu Nigam, Javed Ali, Jonita Gandhi, Nandini Shankar, Rakesh Chaurasia, Rhythm Shaw and Purbayan Chatterjee. These idents are a reflection of the channel’s refreshed look that was launched earlier this month, marking the completion of its six glorious years in India.

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) Max Cluster and Sony Mix senior EVP and business head  Neeraj Vyas said, “ Being leaders in the music and entertainment industry, we are proud to come up with a unique concept of creating channel idents. This is the first time any music channel has come up with a signature tune and created their renditions. The singers and musicians have done utmost justice to the idents by lending their voices to it and we are confident that our music-loving audiences will be humming these idents as they go about the daily affairs.”

    Below are the details to each rendition of the ident: Rendition #1: Javed Ali

    Video Link:

    For his rendition, Javed Ali wanted to experiment with a combination of Indian classical music and Sufi music. Sufi music is derived from the works of Sufi poets with a huge influence of a percussion instrument and a single vocalist. Beginning with the ‘Thaan’ and ending with a beautifully composed ‘Alaap’, Javed Ali’s voice and his singing style is an amazing catalyst that creates magic in this tune.

    Commenting on the rendition, Javed Ali says, “There is always magic created when the team that you work with has complete faith in you. The journey of creating this rendition started off when I met a very able music composer,  Raju Singh. When I heard the tune, I knew that this will strike that emotional chord with the viewers.

    Rendition #2: Rakesh Chaurasia

    Video Link:

    The renowned flutist Rakesh Chaurasia’s rendition to the MIX signature tune lends itself to a symphony with the Tabla. He has added a few key flute techniques like fluttering and the sound of Shakuhachi as catalysts to this beautiful rendition.

    “I had worked with Raju Singh ji on the original version of the MIX signature tune a few years ago and it was an honor to work with him again for MIX. This time the concept was very interesting as we focused on one instrument at a time for the same tune. It was a great experience as I had to give this tune my touch and technique with the bamboo flute. We thought this would take time, but the composition was so good that it hardly took us a couple of hours to come up with the rendition,” says Rakesh.

     

  • New series on Sony Sab on how one innocuous lie can lead to trouble

    MUMBAI: A new series on Sony Sab. Sajjan Re Phir Jhooth Mat Bolo is a story of how an innocuous lie leads to a mountain of lies as the protagonist cannot risk telling the truth for the fear of losing his love.

    In keeping with its agenda, this series on the channel is also a jaunt loaded with love, lies and laughter, and will premiere tomorrow to be telecast every Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

    Channel Sab and Max cluster of channels Sr. EVP & head Neeraj Vyas said, “With Sajjan Re Phir Jhooth Mat Bolo, we are presenting a fresh take on situational comedy arising simply due to the vice of ‘lying’. The show reveals how the protagonist and other characters get hilariously entangled in a web of lies in an effort to help the son impress his lady love. The erstwhile series, Sajjan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo, resonated really well with our audience and we hope they love the new version even more.”

    History sometimes repeats itself in this case, Just like his father; Jaiveer, played by Hussain Kuwajerwala and his family who are one of the wealthiest families of South Mumbai falls in love with a simple woman Jaya played by Parvati Vaze, who belongs to a middle class family. Jaiveer has always been so impressed by his father’s style of wooing and proposing to his mother that he wants to do the same for his ladylove by not revealing his wealth, status and family heritage. So he lies to her about being poor and that he works hard by doing odd jobs each day to make ends meet. Jaya is impressed by his personality and determination, but Jaiveer’s grand plan takes a hit when Jaya tells him how she and her family detest the rich and how her father Lalitrao Lonkhande played by Sharad Ponkshe believes in an ideology that one should only earn what one requires to survive and the rest is spent to help the poor and needy.

    Optimystix entertainment chairman and MD Vipul D Shah said, “As a producer, I am constantly supporting original storylines that make a mark on the audiences. Comedy is the purest form of emotions and I am happy to present a show like Sajjan Re Phir Jhooth Mat Bolo. This show is a beautiful extension of our previous successful show Sajjan re Jhooth Mat Bolo. We are very happy to bring the Season 2 of Sajjan Re franchise and to further strengthen our relationship with Sony SAB The cast of the show are known for their power packed performance and I am sure the viewers will love every bit of the show as much as we enjoyed making it.”

    Others in the cast are Tiku Talsania, Monica Murthy, Urmila Tiwari, Rakhi Vijan and Gaurav Dubey.

  • ‘Refreshed’ Sony Mix aims to bring in more fluidity and minimalism, says Vyas

    MUMBAI: Sony MIX, the dedicated Hindi music and entertainment channel from Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), has unveiled its renewed brand look, including a modernised and simplified design, marking six glorious years of operations in India. The new look reflects the channel’s timeless vision of being the most music-centered destination on Indian television. The new channel elements were rolled out on 1 May, 2017.

    The fresh play out strategy reinforces the channel’s promise of more variety for everybody in a household and more music than any other music channel. As part of the refreshed look, viewers will now enjoy an enhanced visual experience of music in full screen for daypart ‘Raina Beeti Jaye’ and contemporary music. The audience can also look forward to the return of The Jam Room, MIX Solos and Raina Beeti Jaye- Jashn in the coming weeks.

    Sony MIX boasts of the largest library in Hindi music genre with content from the top 8 music labels as it successfully caters to young audiences as well as those who are young at heart. The channel’s focus on music from across eras is reinforced with its unique three focused day parts – with music from the DDLJ era to music for the 15-21 year old age group in the evenings, to retaining the timeless classics from retro eras in the night.

    Sony Pictures Networks India Sr EVP & Business Head, Hindi Music Cluster and Hindi Movies Cluster- Neeraj Vyas said: “Over the last six years, Sony MIX has been one of the leaders in India’s music and entertainment industry. Through its pioneering informative and mood-based programming, the music channel has set itself up as a destination dedicated to music in India. Our refreshed look, retains the brand colours that represent ‘Sapt Sur’, with a contemporary touch to stay attuned to the present times. The fresh packaging aims to bring in more fluidity and minimalism to enhance our viewer’s visual experience.”

    Over its glorious six-year journey, Sony MIX has maintained an undeterred focus on content by producing a wide variety of packaged show offerings; right from user generated content to people profiles and factoids executed in the most unmistakably musical fashion.

  • SPN India cranks up IPL 10 campaign with fan frenzy films

    MUMBAI: How do you celebrate a tenth birthday? Well, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) India, which has been airing the edge-of-the-seat action filled Indian Premier League for the past 10 years, has chosen to do with a campaign “10 saal aap ke naam”.

    “SPN and Vivo IPL have had a great journey, so far. Over the last nine years, we have seen the tournament grow in terms of stature, viewership and the buzz that it creates, and, hence it was only logical to make the tenth year a grand celebration. The marketing campaign borrows from real life insights on how viewers of Vivo IPL engage and involve themselves with the game. We believe that the fans are instrumental in making this tournament the mega blockbuster that it is, and that is why this year’s campaign is an ode to the Vivo IPL Fa. This campaign is the way of saying thank you to millions of people who made IPL what it is,” says Sony Max cluster senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas.

    This year’s matches are to be telecast on Sony Max, Sony Six, and Sony ESPN.

    Thus, a series of six films have been filmed and created encapsulating the fervor and madness of fans across gender, generations and geographies. The films celebrate various types of fans, be it the ‘Antaryami Fan’ who, year after year, makes predictions with confidence and even though all his predictions do not come true, he does not deter from making them again and again; the ‘Vehemi fan’ who fears that if he watches the match his team will lose so every time his team plays he is seen standing outside the door, be it a restaurant, a store or even his own house and the ‘Under Pressure fan’ who will postpone even nature’s call and be uncomfortable but will not budge from the television screen till the last ball is delivered.

    The campaign will run in 4-5 languages — English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. “The Tamil feed grew enormously last year. Twenty per cent of numbers came from Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry which is very encouraging,” informs Vyas.

    SPN India has brought in top drawer talent for its final innings with the IPL (Its rights deal with the BCCI is ending this year and a fierce bidding exercise between Star, SPN, Dsports, and Amazon is expected to take the price up to stratospheric levels.)

    DDB Mudra was behind the creative of the campaign, while the films were helmed by noted ad film director Hemant Bhandari of Chrome Pictures Media. The anthem was composed under the baton of music composer duo, Salim- Sulaiman, and singer, Benny Dayal belted out the vocals.

    With phrases like “Mahaul sajatey, Haal batatey, Halla machatey”, the Vivo IPL anthem salutes the passion of the zealot who passionately follows the game and cheers every four and six and fall of wicket

    The campaign will roll out on other media outlets too. News and regional channels are expected to be tapped into more. But most importantly is the swathe of channels that the network boast of today, reveals Vyas. “Last year when we started the campaign for season 9, the network had 17 channels and now we have 30 channels under Sony umbrella. We have popular channels. But, we will buy some (slots on the) regional (channels) for sure.”

    The good news for the SPN India is that it has managed to lock in 13 sponsor for IPL season 10. Among these figure: Vivo, Amazon and Vodafone as the co-presenters, CEAT Tyre, wire maker Polycab, Make My Trip, Vimal Paan Masala, Yamaha, Frooti, Voltas, Havells, Parle- products and Yes Bank. And, it looks to be on target to rake in Rs 1,300 crore through sponsorships.

    Vyas says that there was fear that prime minister Narendra Modi demonetisation drive might impact advertisers enthusiasm to put in top dollar. “But, the IPL has such a high recall value that you can’t go wrong is what advertisers have told us and that is why the 13 sponsors,” he expresses.

    A media veteran says that the creative peg that SPN India has taken is clearly going to connect with cricket fans in India and worldwide.

    “Already the player auction saw some high-ticket prices being coughed up by the teams for certain players,” says she. “And, if Sony is going to stoke up the fan frenzy by airing the fan films showing stereotypes with high frequency and reach, one can expect the temperature and viewership for the IPL to only go up this year. Now if only the teams on the field work well to have close finishes, and Sony will be laughing all the way to the bank.”

  • Sony movie cluster biz grew by 30 per cent: Neeraj Vyas

    Sony movie cluster biz grew by 30 per cent: Neeraj Vyas

    MUMBAI: 2016 has been a good and a profitable year for Sony Pictures Network’s movie cluster. In May 2016, Sony expanded its movie cluster with its first free-to-air (FTA) channel Sony Wah.

    With this addition, the channel count in Sony’s Hindi movie bouquet has reached four including Sony Max, Sony Max2 and Sony Max HD.

    During the IPL season, each year Sony Max registered highest ratings in the prime time segment, hence the property is special for the group.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Max movie channel cluster senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas shared, “In every way, we witnessed one of the best years, from the beginning of life post the IPL as IPL is an integral part of Sony as it is essential from a reach perspective. For the first time in many years, right from IPL to the latest week, Max has retained a leadership position — for 26 consecutive weeks, we have been the leaders. Apart from that, Max 2 has held its own and we have grown in the market where we created a beautiful niche for movies of yesteryears.”

    Vyas added, “I think Max has helped a so-called retro genre look cooler, feel cooler and we brought back happy memories to the mind of viewers. Again, Max 2 is something we are very proud of.”

    SPN’s flagship movie channel Sony Max has been the leader since the last 26 consecutive weeks. Sony Max garnered 420 GVM (Avg Weekly GRPs (CS 4+) and 38.9 reach (Avg Weekly Reach% (HSM, 4+) (Viewership Nos. (HSM, U+R / Post IPL till date i.e Wk 48)

    The channel delivered 19 per cent more viewership than the no. 2 HFF Channel i.e Zee Cinema. Max was the only HFF Channel that grew over FY 16 in these last six months. Even GECs witnessed a decreasing trend during this period over last fiscal.

    SPN has a special movie channel which caters to a niche audience. The channel had been the leader for 23 out of 35 weeks in FY 17. It delivers almost five per cent more viewership than the no. 2 HFF channel. It’s Sony Max 2, of course.

    Sony Wah has been the leader since the last 23 consecutive weeks which is two weeks short of Wah’s lifetime weeks. As per BARC’s Week 44 data, WAH was the no. 1 HFF Channel @ U+R beating Pay HFF for the first time. The highest rated title by Wah, ‘Baahubali’ rated 1.8 TVR per cent (@ HSM U+R).

    “We launched Wah towards the end of May. For weeks, we led in the segment (rural). It’s been a fabulous year. We led in all the genres we operated in. More importantly, I think, we have managed to essentially create a set of channels which provide a lot of good content to the viewers, and at the same time able to reach to large critical mass of viewers across the entire HSM platform which I think something advertisers are looking for,” added Vyas.

    “Max HD is a unique channel catering to the classes, and, here again, we have seen consistent growth,” Vyas said.

    Talking about the rural Hindi-speaking market, Vyas explained, “A lot of works needs to be done in this market. Broadcasters should deep dive into it to understand that, because we are not familiar with that market. It’s critical to understand its nuances and the viewership pattern of rural HSM. A lot of leg work needs to be done there. All of this I think will happen in next one year. Rural HSM is a large part of the country, and one can’t map it easily. But, we certainly see a lot of potential. For very long, I think, it’s been an underserved market.”

    The key advertisers for Sony movies have been HUL, P&G, Cadbury’s in FMCG, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS, MRF in automotive, Vodafone in telecom and Axis Bank and DHFL in the BFSI category.

    Vyas added, “Revenue outlook was great till a few days ago but demonetisation has slowed down the process. But, I think, it’s a temporary setback. But, that apart, we witnessed a phenomenal growth in terms of ad revenue. We have grown by almost 30 per cent over the last year which I think is much better than the industry average.”

  • Sony movie cluster biz grew by 30 per cent: Neeraj Vyas

    Sony movie cluster biz grew by 30 per cent: Neeraj Vyas

    MUMBAI: 2016 has been a good and a profitable year for Sony Pictures Network’s movie cluster. In May 2016, Sony expanded its movie cluster with its first free-to-air (FTA) channel Sony Wah.

    With this addition, the channel count in Sony’s Hindi movie bouquet has reached four including Sony Max, Sony Max2 and Sony Max HD.

    During the IPL season, each year Sony Max registered highest ratings in the prime time segment, hence the property is special for the group.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Max movie channel cluster senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas shared, “In every way, we witnessed one of the best years, from the beginning of life post the IPL as IPL is an integral part of Sony as it is essential from a reach perspective. For the first time in many years, right from IPL to the latest week, Max has retained a leadership position — for 26 consecutive weeks, we have been the leaders. Apart from that, Max 2 has held its own and we have grown in the market where we created a beautiful niche for movies of yesteryears.”

    Vyas added, “I think Max has helped a so-called retro genre look cooler, feel cooler and we brought back happy memories to the mind of viewers. Again, Max 2 is something we are very proud of.”

    SPN’s flagship movie channel Sony Max has been the leader since the last 26 consecutive weeks. Sony Max garnered 420 GVM (Avg Weekly GRPs (CS 4+) and 38.9 reach (Avg Weekly Reach% (HSM, 4+) (Viewership Nos. (HSM, U+R / Post IPL till date i.e Wk 48)

    The channel delivered 19 per cent more viewership than the no. 2 HFF Channel i.e Zee Cinema. Max was the only HFF Channel that grew over FY 16 in these last six months. Even GECs witnessed a decreasing trend during this period over last fiscal.

    SPN has a special movie channel which caters to a niche audience. The channel had been the leader for 23 out of 35 weeks in FY 17. It delivers almost five per cent more viewership than the no. 2 HFF channel. It’s Sony Max 2, of course.

    Sony Wah has been the leader since the last 23 consecutive weeks which is two weeks short of Wah’s lifetime weeks. As per BARC’s Week 44 data, WAH was the no. 1 HFF Channel @ U+R beating Pay HFF for the first time. The highest rated title by Wah, ‘Baahubali’ rated 1.8 TVR per cent (@ HSM U+R).

    “We launched Wah towards the end of May. For weeks, we led in the segment (rural). It’s been a fabulous year. We led in all the genres we operated in. More importantly, I think, we have managed to essentially create a set of channels which provide a lot of good content to the viewers, and at the same time able to reach to large critical mass of viewers across the entire HSM platform which I think something advertisers are looking for,” added Vyas.

    “Max HD is a unique channel catering to the classes, and, here again, we have seen consistent growth,” Vyas said.

    Talking about the rural Hindi-speaking market, Vyas explained, “A lot of works needs to be done in this market. Broadcasters should deep dive into it to understand that, because we are not familiar with that market. It’s critical to understand its nuances and the viewership pattern of rural HSM. A lot of leg work needs to be done there. All of this I think will happen in next one year. Rural HSM is a large part of the country, and one can’t map it easily. But, we certainly see a lot of potential. For very long, I think, it’s been an underserved market.”

    The key advertisers for Sony movies have been HUL, P&G, Cadbury’s in FMCG, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS, MRF in automotive, Vodafone in telecom and Axis Bank and DHFL in the BFSI category.

    Vyas added, “Revenue outlook was great till a few days ago but demonetisation has slowed down the process. But, I think, it’s a temporary setback. But, that apart, we witnessed a phenomenal growth in terms of ad revenue. We have grown by almost 30 per cent over the last year which I think is much better than the industry average.”

  • Sony Max SD & HD’s Sultan premiere locks big ad revenues

    Sony Max SD & HD’s Sultan premiere locks big ad revenues

    MUMBAI: How much can a single telecast of a Hindi film on a channel earn in ad revenues? Well, if estimates are to be believed, it could be Rs 50 crore for the premiere of the Salman Khan starrer Sultan which aired on Sony Pictures Network India (SPN India) Hindi movie channel Sony Max on 15 October, according to a PTI report. The film focuses on Sultan Ali Khan (played by Salman Khan), a wrestling champion from Haryana, whose successful career creates a rift in his personal life

    As expected, SPN India president (sales & international business) Rohit Gupta refused to put a fix on the exact figure while speaking to PTI. All he said was : “It is one of the biggest blockbusters and it has been the biggest movie for us in terms of revenue. It is the highest grossing movie revenue which we have got, but we cant disclose the revenue.”

    SPN India business head for Hindi movies and music cluster Neeraj Vyas also highlighted that Sultan allowed it to gross its highest ever ad sales for a movie premiere on the network. But once again he provided no figures. “We’ve had a 20 per cent increase in ad rates – over the previous large movie premiere that we had sold last year around the same time for Bahubali- which is why the numbers have gone up to what they have ”

    SPN India had slapped a pricing of Rs 10 lakh per 10 second ad spot for its standard definition channel and Rs 2 lakh per 10 seconds for its Sony Max HD services. Those are the kind of numbers it charges for some of its premium IPL matches.

    Amongst the brands which hopped on board included: Chinese handset maker Oppo and Reliance Jio as the co-presenter sponsors, while FMCG megalith Hindustan Unilever and auto major Mahindra as co-sponsors. Bajaj Auto, Colgate, Mondelez, Reckitt Benckiser and Samsung Electronics chose to be signed on as associate sponsors, while brands such as Apple, eBay India, Ford India, Google India, Huawei Tele, Intel, Intex Technologies, Lenovo, Loreal, Pernod Ricard, Raymond and Vivo Mobiles brought spots.

    SPN India claimed to PTI that the inventory had been sold out days before – a bit of a first for the network.

  • Sony Max SD & HD’s Sultan premiere locks big ad revenues

    Sony Max SD & HD’s Sultan premiere locks big ad revenues

    MUMBAI: How much can a single telecast of a Hindi film on a channel earn in ad revenues? Well, if estimates are to be believed, it could be Rs 50 crore for the premiere of the Salman Khan starrer Sultan which aired on Sony Pictures Network India (SPN India) Hindi movie channel Sony Max on 15 October, according to a PTI report. The film focuses on Sultan Ali Khan (played by Salman Khan), a wrestling champion from Haryana, whose successful career creates a rift in his personal life

    As expected, SPN India president (sales & international business) Rohit Gupta refused to put a fix on the exact figure while speaking to PTI. All he said was : “It is one of the biggest blockbusters and it has been the biggest movie for us in terms of revenue. It is the highest grossing movie revenue which we have got, but we cant disclose the revenue.”

    SPN India business head for Hindi movies and music cluster Neeraj Vyas also highlighted that Sultan allowed it to gross its highest ever ad sales for a movie premiere on the network. But once again he provided no figures. “We’ve had a 20 per cent increase in ad rates – over the previous large movie premiere that we had sold last year around the same time for Bahubali- which is why the numbers have gone up to what they have ”

    SPN India had slapped a pricing of Rs 10 lakh per 10 second ad spot for its standard definition channel and Rs 2 lakh per 10 seconds for its Sony Max HD services. Those are the kind of numbers it charges for some of its premium IPL matches.

    Amongst the brands which hopped on board included: Chinese handset maker Oppo and Reliance Jio as the co-presenter sponsors, while FMCG megalith Hindustan Unilever and auto major Mahindra as co-sponsors. Bajaj Auto, Colgate, Mondelez, Reckitt Benckiser and Samsung Electronics chose to be signed on as associate sponsors, while brands such as Apple, eBay India, Ford India, Google India, Huawei Tele, Intel, Intex Technologies, Lenovo, Loreal, Pernod Ricard, Raymond and Vivo Mobiles brought spots.

    SPN India claimed to PTI that the inventory had been sold out days before – a bit of a first for the network.

  • SPN India launches FTA movie channel ‘Sony Wah’

    SPN India launches FTA movie channel ‘Sony Wah’

    MUMBAI: After Star India launching its free to air (FTA) movie channel Star Utsav Movie, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has expanded the scope of its Hindi movie channels from 3 to 4 with Sony Wah.

    Based on a deep understanding of audiences across different strata in the Hindi-speaking markets (HSM) landscape, Sony WAH a premium FTA Hindi movie channel will cater to the unserved needs of rural and small town India.

    Celebrating the best of Hindi Cinema, Sony WAH, with its positioning of ‘Filmon Ka Mela” will bring alive the content and experience that audiences of FTA channels have never seen before. The channel will showcase a mix of Hindi movies as well as films from the southern parts of India dubbed in Hindi. There will be a lot of marquee titles as well ranging across present-day blockbusters to movies from the last 3 decades.

    With this launch, SPN’s Hindi movie channel cluster comprising of Sony MAX, Sony MAX2, Sony MAX HD and Sony WAH will cover the entire viewer spectrum of HSM at 94 percent unduplicated reach.

    Sony Max & Sony Max 2 senior EVP Neeraj Vyas said, “With the launch of Sony WAH, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) becomes the only network to cover a range of audiences across multiple geographies with its unique offering of 4 distinct and differently positioned Hindi movie channels. Sony WAH completes the circle with its focus on rural and FTA audiences offering them a spectrum of movies they would want to see and when they want to see; enabling both choice and selection for the viewer”.