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Tag: Sony Pictures Network India

  • Sony Sports Network sets new benchmark for football broadcasting in India

    Sony Sports Network sets new benchmark for football broadcasting in India

    Mumbai: Sony Sports Network has set new benchmarks in the Indian sports broadcasting landscape, showcasing the immense growth of football viewership across diverse demographics. The growing popularity of European football in India is undeniable, with an increasing fan base eagerly following international tournaments like the Euros. This trend reflects a broader shift in sports preferences among Indian audiences, presenting Sony Sports Network with opportunities to expand its influence in the sports broadcasting landscape.

    From August 2023 to July 2024, the network has delivered an impressive 2,177 hours of live football coverage, the highest among all sports broadcasters in India. Likewise, Sony Sports has also recorded the most viewership for football on Pay Sports channels in India with 63.3 GRPs and an overall reach of 85.7 million among pay sports channels for all Live + Non-Live SOCCER (BARC) for the period from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024. (TG: BARC, All India Male 15+ ABC, SOCCER). It also has the highest reach among pay sports channels for all Live + Non-Live SOCCER (BARC) for the period from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024 (TG: BARC, All India CS 2+, SOCCER). This staggering amount of airtime showcases the network’s commitment to bringing the beautiful game to millions of fans across the country.

    Sony Sports Network is the exclusive home to a wide array of prestigious football properties. This includes the highly anticipated UEFA EURO 2028, one of the most celebrated tournaments in international football. Similarly, they hold broadcasting rights for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, and UEFA Nations League, among others.

    The network also covers the European Qualifiers, UEFA Youth League, international friendlies, the Emirates FA Cup, Bundesliga, Roshn Saudi League, and the DFB Pokal. This vast array of football content ensures that viewers have access to a comprehensive and diverse range of football action, from elite European club competitions to global international fixtures.

    Starting from the 2024/25 season, the UEFA Champions League will adopt a new format that includes 36 clubs competing in a Swiss league system. This change introduces four additional teams, providing more opportunities for clubs to face Europe’s elite.

    Fans can look forward to a continuous flow of European club football from August to May, as the tournament will no longer have a January break. The revamped format will see a remarkable 51 per cent increase in matches, adding over 125 games to the schedule.

    To cater to Indian audiences, the number of early kickoff matches will nearly double, featuring up to 38 such matches per season. The duration for early kickoff slots has also expanded from 12 to 22 days, ensuring both Group and Knockout stages include these popular times.

    For Indian viewers, matches will start at 10:15 PM until Daylight Savings Time, after which they will begin at 11:15 PM. This evolution in the competition promises to enhance the viewing experience and further grow the sport’s popularity.

    Speaking of an oldest football tournament particularly in Asia, the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup has gained its legacy as one of India’s premier tournaments, led by the armed forces. Over the past two years, Sony Sports Network has collaborated closely with the Durand Organizing Committee to elevate the event to new heights. Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan spearheaded the campaign, while former national team captain Sunil Chhetri, who recently retired, also featured prominently in the promotional film. In a historic moment, the Indian president Droupadi Murmuru, unveiled the trophies and launched the trophy tour, marking the first presidential involvement in 36 years.

    Additionally, Sony Sports Network’s effective marketing strategies, like the appointment of Aaryan as the brand ambassador for the “Universe Ka Sabse Bada Football Festival of 2024” campaign, aims to engage a younger, more affluent audience, expanding the sport’s reach beyond traditional markets like Northeast India, Goa, Kerala, and West Bengal. In this campaign, Aaryan dons the avatar of an alien to symbolize the universal appeal and excitement surrounding the event, emphasizing that UEFA Euro 2024 is not just a football tournament but a global festival that transcends boundaries. His involvement adds a touch of entertainment and relatability, ensuring the campaign resonates with fans across the country.

    The integration of OTT platforms ensures that matches are accessible both on television and online, catering to the evolving consumption habits of modern viewers who prefer streaming content. Although many industry experts have delved that TV is by any day a preferred destination, as viewing sports on a large screen is highly beneficial and entertaining to the viewers especially when watching with family. In addition to high-definition broadcasts, Sony Sports Network has significantly expanded its multilingual commentary offerings. Recognising the diverse linguistic landscape of India, the network provides commentary in multiple regional languages,for marquee tournaments and matches including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali to resonate with a broader audience and make them feel included in the excitement.

    If we talk about one particular challenge that stands out, it would definitely be cricket’s dominant viewership. Cricket receives extensive media coverage across all platforms, including television, print, and digital media. Major cricket events dominate sports news and attract a significant portion of advertising revenue, often leaving little room for other sports. With cricket’s extensive reach and established fan base, football often competes for limited viewing slots and advertising revenue. This competition makes it difficult for football events to secure the same level of attention and financial backing.

    Despite these shortcomings, the viewership figures are a clear indicator of the increasing appetite for football in India, transcending traditional boundaries and attracting a wide range of viewers. The network’s ability to captivate such a large audience highlights the effectiveness of its content strategy and its understanding of the evolving sports preferences of Indian audiences. By offering the maximum number of live football hours, boasting the largest bouquet of football properties and achieving the highest cumulative reach, it is no doubt that Sony Sports Network has set a new standard for sports broadcasting in India. 

  • BCCI media rights auction: Viacom18 bags both digital and TV rights

    BCCI media rights auction: Viacom18 bags both digital and TV rights

    Mumbai: Viacom18 have secured both the TV and digital rights for international matches to be played in India for the next five years (2023-28 cycle).

    Sports18 will then telecast the matches, international and domestic, on TV while it will be live streamed on JioCinema as OTT platform.

    The broadcast cycle begins from September 2023 and goes until March 2028 for a grand total of 88 bilateral matches (could go up to 102 matches) involving India. It can be broken down into 25 Tests, 27 ODIs and 36 T20Is.

    Sony Pictures Networks India MD & CEO N.P Singh, congratulated the winners of the BCCI e-auction for the bilateral media rights by saying, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the BCCI for a transparent and efficient e-bidding process and to the winners for securing the bilateral media rights. Our disciplined bid was grounded in market forecasts and a long-term growth strategy. We remain committed to delivering top-tier sporting entertainment as we continue to see growing enthusiasm across various sports genres.”  

  • Saugata Mukherjee rejoins SonyLIV as content head

    Saugata Mukherjee rejoins SonyLIV as content head

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) has appointed Saugata Mukherjee as head of content for SonyLIV.

    In his new role, Saugata will lead the content division for Sony digital businesses.

    He will report to Sony LIV, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), and Studio Next business head Danish Khan.

    Mukherjee said, “I have witnessed the platform’s growth and am proud to be part of its growth story once again. SonyLIV has always pushed the boundaries of content by telling stories that have never been told, explored, or shown before, making my role a challenging but exciting one.”

    A media and entertainment industry veteran, Saugata has over two decades of experience. Saugata has previously led content teams for prestigious media conglomerates. He recently left Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was HBO Max content head.

    Warner Bros Discovery puts HBO Max launch in India on hold

    In his previous stint with Sony Pictures Networks India, he worked as SonyLIV’s original content head for one year, where he was looking after content commissioning, developing, producing, and curating the premium content for the platform.

    He has also worked with Disney+ Hotstar for almost two years, where he was head of development and creative for Hotstar Specials.

    At Star TV Network, he was senior vice president and editor of the content studio for five years.

    He is an alumnus of the Indian School of Business and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

  • SPNI acquires exclusive media rights for World Athletics Championships Oregon22

    SPNI acquires exclusive media rights for World Athletics Championships Oregon22

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has acquired the exclusive media rights for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

    This deal will give SPNI rights to broadcast the upcoming edition of the World Athletics Championships on its sports channels across India and the subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The association will also allow SPN to showcase all video-on-demand content for its viewers.

    The series, scheduled from 15 July to 24 July 2022 in Eugene, Oregon and United States, will be live telecast across Sony Ten  channels in India as well as livestreamed on SPN’s premium OTT platform, SonyLIV.

    The 2022 World Athletics Championships will be the 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships and will mark the first time the US hosts the most prestigious event in the sport. The ten-day grand sporting competition will host 2000 athletes representing more than 200 nations, who will aim to give their best performance across 49 track and field disciplines & realize their lifelong dream.

    For India, Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra will lead the country’s charge, heading a strong contingent that will include: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Men’s Shot Put), Kamalpreet Kaur (Women’s Discus Throw), Priyanka Goswami (Women’s 20km Race Walk), Rahul Rohilla (Men’s 20km Race Walk), Sandeep Kumar (Men’s 20km Race Walk), Murali Sreeshankar (Men’s Long Jump), Jeswin Aldrin (Men’s Long Jump), Abdulla Aboobacker (Men’s Triple Jump), Avinash Sable (Men’s 3000m Steeplechase), Praveen Chitravel (Men’s Triple Jump), Seema Punia (Women’s discus throw) along with a team for the men’s 4×400 relay and more.

    Currently, former long jumper Anju Bobby George’s bronze in Paris in 2003 is the only medal won by an Indian athlete at the World Championships. The nation will be rooting strongly for the contingent and hope to extend the medal tally in this outing.

    Speaking on the partnership, SPNI chief revenue officer, distribution & head of sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “We are pleased to have acquired the media rights of World Athletics Championships Oregon22 for India and the subcontinent. The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 is anticipated to be a gathering of the world’s best athletes and we are proud to see a strong Indian contingent qualify for the competition, backed by their exceptional performance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. With the broadcast of World Athletics Championship, our viewers will get an opportunity to watch India’s finest at this prestigious sporting event and cheer for the athletes to finish at the podium.”  

    World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said, “We are delighted that Sony Pictures Networks India has come on board to provide such extensive coverage of our most prestigious championships to our Indian and subcontinental fans. India is an important and growing market for athletics, partly as a consequence of the rising performance level of Indian athletes at our major championships. As a global organization we want our sport to be available to athletics fans in every country in the world and this agreement with Sony Pictures Networks India will help us achieve that.”

  • The idea behind PVL 2022 is to democratise Volleyball in India: Baseline Ventures’ Tuhin Mishra

    The idea behind PVL 2022 is to democratise Volleyball in India: Baseline Ventures’ Tuhin Mishra

    Mumbai: Bringing back the popular sport of Volleyball for its fans across the country after a two-year break, Rupay Prime Volleyball League (PVL) returns in its new avatar on 5 February.

    The tournament features seven franchises from seven different cities ― Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, and Kolkata Thunderbolts, and will kick off from the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad sans any LIVE audiences. 

    With a few days to go before the maiden match, IndianTelevision caught up with sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures’ managing director and co-founder Tuhin Mishra to understand the scope for the game on TV in India, and how the brand plans to tap into the league’s viewership. “This is the very first time that the Rupay Prime Volleyball league is happening and also the first time such a professionally organised league for Volleyball is going to take place in India, so yes the excitement levels are high,” said Mishra

    Sony Pictures Network India is the official broadcaster. In another first, the telecast will be available not only in Hindi and English feeds, but also Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam across the Sony Sports network of Ten1, Ten2, Ten3, and Ten4 channels and the OTT platform, Sony Liv.

    Elaborating on the 2022 season, Mishra said, the league has been modelled along the lines of the international NBA or middle eastern Soccer, where all the seven teams are also the owners of the league. “So it’s a very interesting model that’s not been tried in India before, and which actually gives a skin in the game for all the team owners. So the team owners along with Baselines- we all decide how things need to be done and need to operate,” he added.

    Democratising the sport

    All the players in the league have played the game professionally at the highest level, and the league promises to offer high-quality volleyball action to TV audiences, which is otherwise available only during Olympics or Asian Games. “We saw this as an opportunity for a sport which has such a huge global and Indian relevance. It’s also a very economical sport. You just need a small wire and a net and you can start playing. It doesn’t need a big surface, like say, football. Additionally, it’s a non-contact sport which also looks great on Television,” added Mishra.

    Volleyball is believed to be the second biggest played team sport in the world after football and is played by 213 countries across the globe. “Volleyball has huge credence all over the country at the grassroots level- if you go to villages, towns, cities and in schools and colleges- people everywhere play the sport,” said Mishra. “During the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, in spite of India not being in contention for the sport, the Volleyball matches which were broadcast on Sony got the highest viewership numbers, indicating that when a good quality game of Volleyball is shown, people really enjoy it.”

    Even as the sports marketing firm considers 18+ males to be the league’s target audience and its primary TG, it is also slowly beginning to draw family viewers to the game. “We saw this during the previous league three seasons back- when the finals were on, we had sold out the stadium,” he added. This time around because of Covid, the tournament will not LIVE audiences.

    SPONSORSHIPS

    The league has signed up eight sponsors so far, with Card payment network RuPay coming on board as the Title Sponsor and Fantasy games leaders A23 having signed on as “Powered By” Sponsors in a multi-year deal. Healthy food platform EatFit, Amul and Nippon Paint have come on board as associate sponsors, while Cosco has associated itself with the League as its Official Partner.

    Some of India’s noted sportspersons including PV Sindhu, Smriti Mandanna, Pankaj Advani have also come forward to support the League. The league has also tied up with Sharechat & Moj as official content partners to reach out to regional audiences.

    Talking about the viewership pattern from the 2019 season, Mishra said, the sport is garnering viewers from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, as well as North East. “What we’ve been doing is trying to make stars out of these players. That is the basic objective. To promote and make at least four or five of them household names, which will serve as an incentive for more players,” shared Mishra. “We have also made this a very owner-driven league, where the team owners are also a part of its success or failure.”

    The players are auctioned off in a transparent process, so that anyone who wants to register can do so. Thus, the PVL now has over 450 registrations- almost four times compared to 2019 when only 105 registrations were allowed. “We need to democratise the sport,” added Mishra.

    The PVL has been shifted from Kochi to Hyderabad amid rising Covid cases in Kerala and the league is operating out of a very strict bubble, which the players have entered into 26 January onwards. The company is following international practices and SOPs with respect to bio-bubble in order to prevent any further disruptions in the game.

    “We are not looking at just one year, we need consistency for the teams and the team owners,” said Mishra. “It’s a great opportunity for Indian sports because if what we’re trying to do succeeds – that is monetise it to the best possible level wherein the teams also make money, then it could become a model for other leagues or other sports to replicate. And we would be happy to do that and share our knowledge.”

    The Rupay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 is exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures. The teams will compete in a single round-robin format league that will feature a total of 24 matches, with the top four teams qualifying for the Semi-Finals. The grand finale is slated to be held on 27 February, culminating in three weeks of high voltage action. 

  • SonyLIV elevates Amogh Dusad as head – business operations

    SonyLIV elevates Amogh Dusad as head – business operations

    KOLKATA: Over-the-top (OTT) platform SonyLIV has elevated Amogh Dusad as head – business operations.

    Back in 2019, when the platform embarked on its transformation journey, Dusad was given the position of head – programming and new initiatives, digital business at Sony Pictures Networks India. His role was to handle strategic planning, operations, viewership management and analytics for SonyLIV.

    Over a career spanning 18 years, he has delivered in leadership positions covering different facets of the broadcast and digital industry. This has included content acquisition, partnerships with content creators, gaming and second screen interactivity initiatives, digital content creation, revenue maximisation for digital products, consumer insights and analytics.

    Earlier in his career, he also led the insights and programming strategy for SET, the flagship channel of Sony Pictures Network India. In this role, he was responsible for the overall business strategy for the channel, consumer insights and collaborations on creative development to drive viewership and P&L management.

    While SonyLIV was largely dependent on its catch-up content and sports portfolio, it ramped up its original content library in the last couple of years. The platform was also rebranded with a new vibrant logo in the last year. Its originals including Avrodh, Gullak, Undekhi , and especially Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story have created quite a buzz in the market.

  • SonyLIV 2.0 embarks on a journey with brand new identity, original premium content

    SonyLIV 2.0 embarks on a journey with brand new identity, original premium content

    MUMBAI: One of the early movers in the Indian over-the-top (OTT) ecosystem set out on its quest to reimagine the business in the latter part of 2019. Starting with a rejig in leadership last year, SonyLIV has now brought one of the most noticeable changes to its look: content strategy.

    Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) on Tuesday revealed a brand new look of its digital arm.

    A video on its social media gives glimpses of the redesigned logo which will replace its yellow background logo with a vibrant colourful one. The new logo emphasises the ‘liv’ part in a bright yellow colour in contrast to a colourful background with streaks of purple, blue, orange. Compared to the earlier one, it looks thinner and more refined reflecting warmth.

    Although being one of the oldest contenders, the platform has not been able to create much buzz lately. The ecosystem has not only grown but also the competition from both homegrown and international players. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have started upping their investment in local content aggressively. Another giant player Disney+ also made its much-awaited entry into the market in March. Other broadcast-led players like ZEE5 and VOOT have also brought premium content to woo users, the former going deeper into the vernacular market.  Amidst all these ambitious players, a reimagining was required to make a mark and stand out.

    Better late than never. Along with re-designing, its content strategy is also set for an overhaul. Earlier, the new faces of SonyLIV spoke about the plan of focusing on originals. As the video reveals, the platform is going to bring original stories from the well-known storytellers in the country including Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Ajay Monga, E Niwas, Hansal Mehta, Samar Khan, Nikkhil Advani, Nitesh Tiwari, Saumya Joshi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Sachin Pathak, and Vir Das. It will also premiere international series including For Life, The Tudors. However, it promises to stay committed to the core strength, and sports content, too.

    The platform has struck a deal with Applause Entertainment announcing a content licensing deal of four premium drama series: Your Honor, Avrodh,  Undekhi and Scam 1992.  It has started its gradual rollout of its refreshed SonyLIV 2.0. app with the new visual identity and a distinct user interface.

    SPNI rejigged its digital team last year, with old-time SPNI executive Danish Khan leading it, with added responsibilities as business head of its leading GEC Sony Entertainment Television. Khan roped in his A Team who worked with him at SET, Ashish Golwalkar and Aman Srivastava, to also help him out to revitalise SonyLIV. The new faces revealed the wish for a rekindled focus on subscription-based service which just took off last year.

    Before this overhaul in brand identity, SonyLIV went through a change in 2016, after three years of its launch. The latest change comes at a time when all the OTT platforms have seen a huge surge in the viewership due to ongoing lockdown.

    At the time of publication of this story, the platform was reached for more details, but denied response.

  • Dish TV withdraws petition against SPN from TDSAT

    Dish TV withdraws petition against SPN from TDSAT

    MUMBAI: The ongoing tussle between Dish TV India Ltd and Sony Pictures Network India, in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), has settled with the former withdrawing its petition filed last year against certain clauses in terms and conditions of pre-NTO RIO as published by the broadcaster, on the basis of non – discrimination.

    Dish TV had moved TDSAT in Februrary 2018 challenging the subsisting RIO agreement which was entered into on 1 December 2017 without prejudice to its rights to challenge the clauses of RIO terms as communicated to SPN India vide letter dated 8 November 2017.

    Accepting Dish TV’s appeal to withdraw the petition, TDSAT noted in its order, “It is not in dispute that the parties have entered into a fresh agreement under the new regime on account of Regulations of 2017. In view of such developments, learned counsel for the petitioner (dish TV) submits that challenge by the petitioner to the terms of earlier RIO of the respondents has become academic and, therefore, the petition may be permitted to be withdrawn with liberty to the petitioner that if an occasion arises, it will be free to challenge the terms of new RIO of the respondents.”

    The tribunal clarified that Dish TV will be at liberty to raise its claim or seek relief through an appropriate proceeding in accordance with law if it has any any grievance in future.

  • Pro Volleyball League attracts 14.3 mn viewers in week 1 on TV

    Pro Volleyball League attracts 14.3 mn viewers in week 1 on TV

    MUMBAI: The first leg of RuPay Pro Volleyball League (PVL) which happened in Kochi witnessed 14.3 million viewers sample the league on Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India.   

    The league, which is an initiative of Baseline Ventures and the Volleyball Federation of India, began on 2 February in Kochi and will move to Chennai for the second leg starting on 16 February.

    In its first week itself, SPN India’s digital platform SonyLIV got close to 1 million viewers watching the matches. “The impressive viewership numbers are validation of our efforts for a sport like volleyball which is so spectator-friendly. The on-ground response we got in Kochi was also very heartening. The early signs are encouraging and will push us to work harder,” RuPay PVL CEO Joy Bhattacharjya said.

    The first seven matches clocked an average reach of 2.9 million. The game that garnered the highest rating was when Calicut Heroes played U Mumba Volley on 5 February with 328,000 impressions (number of viewers at any given point of time during the match). On the other hand, per match impressions were at 237,000 and average time spent per viewer per match stood at 11 minutes.

    SPN India chief revenue officer distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “The response from the inaugural PVL is in line with our expectations. Audience engagement has been very high both on-screen and on-ground as well, with over 14 million viewers across India tuning into Sony SIX and Sony TEN 3 channels to watch RuPay PVL so far. While the sport has always had a strong following in the South, it is exciting to see markets like Assam. West Bengal, Gujarat and Haryana also showing great interest. This is a clear indication of the widening interest amongst audiences for multi-sports, which has been a key focus area for us to build the sporting environment in the country.”

    Even the volleyball fantasy game built by MyTeam11 has seen a consistent rise in daily users leading the company to double to prize pool from Rs 50 thousand to Rs 1 lakh. From the initial days of the league with 15 thousand gaming participants, the platform has now touched over 49,000 fans.

    The second leg of the RuPay PVL starts from February 16 2019 in Chennai at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium where Chennai Spartans will take on U Mumba Volley.

  • ISSF signs deal with SPN India for rifle and pistol World Cup broadcast

    ISSF signs deal with SPN India for rifle and pistol World Cup broadcast

    MUMBAI: The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has signed a deal with Sony Pictures Network India to broadcast the World Cup, according to the Press Trust of India. The sport of shooting will have live television coverage of the World Cup Rifle/Pistol at Dr Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad from 20-28 February 2019.

    The Indian shooting will have a great opportunity to project its bright image, with assured high-quality live television coverage of the tournament. Even though shooters from around the world will be eyeing the 16 Olympic quota places on offer, in eight events for men and women, for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it will be an ideal platform for the Indian shooters to show case their class and strike power.

    “Sony will be covering the World Cup. Doordarshan will also broadcast. Since the World Cup is an ISSF event, the world body has signed the deal with Sony Television not only for this World Cup but other World Cups as well,” The National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh said.

    The sport of shooting which rarely gets broadcast support will be seen once again on the main-stream sports broadcast platform like Sony. Earlier India had conducted the Asian Olympic qualifying event before the Rio Olympics which was broadcasted live on Star Sports network in 2015-16.

    “We are not taking any funds from the government for organising the event, and the ISSF is taking care of the production cost of the television coverage,” he said.

    During the press conference, the NRAI president also declared that a lot of national shooting associations will be coming with their presidents to watch the World Cup, including the ones from Gautemala, Mexico and Russia. Singh said the range was getting ready to host the World Cup, especially with a nice setting in the final hall.

    The NRAI president also expressed hope that in the long run, the national championships would have television coverage. He said there was considerable potential to take the sport forward as 7,000 athletes competed in the last national championships.