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Tag: Sony Pictures Networks India

  • Sony Pictures to acquire Ten Sports from Zee

    Sony Pictures to acquire Ten Sports from Zee

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) today announced that SPN and its affiliates have entered into definitive agreements to acquire TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) and its subsidiaries for 385 million U.S. dollars. Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. The acquisition will add South Asia’s leading sports network to SPN’s existing portfolio of channels.

    The TEN Sports channels being acquired include TEN 1, TEN 1 HD, TEN 2, TEN 3, TEN Golf HD, TEN Cricket, TEN Sports that operate in several countries including the Indian sub-continent, Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong, Middle East, Caribbean.

    TEN Sports holds broadcast rights to major cricket boards (South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe). In addition, Ten Sports holds rights to wrestling (WWE), football (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, French League, English Football League Cup), tennis (WTA Events, ATP events), golf (European Tour, Asian Tour, Ryder Cup, US PGA Championship, LPGA Tour, Professional Golf Tour of India and Golf Channel Block), athletics (Asian Games, Commonwealth Games), motor sports (Moto GP) and cycling (Tour de France) events.

    Long a television destination for sports fans, SPN sports properties include cricket (IPL, CPL, Ram Slam), football (FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia, UEFA Euro 2016, FIFA World Events including FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 in India, European and South American Qualifiers for FIFA WC 2018, FIFA Confederations Cup, LaLiga, Serie A, FA Cup, Copa America Centenario, International Champions Cup), tennis (Australian Open, ATP 1000 and 500 World Tour Events, Champions Tennis League), fight sports (TNA, UFC, Pro Wrestling League), basketball (NBA) as well as NFL and Premier Futsal.

    Comment from NP Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India

    “I welcome TEN Sports to the Sony family. The acquisition of TEN Sports Network will strengthen SPN’s offering for viewers of cricket, football and fight sports, complementing our existing portfolio of international and domestic sporting properties. It also aptly demonstrates SPN’s commitment to providing a broad range of sporting entertainment to fans across India and the sub-continent.”

    Comment from Andy Kaplan, President, Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television

    “India has been a strong driver of Sony Pictures’ growing networks business for two decades, and sports continue to play a significant role in that growth. The acquisition of TEN Sports, following the launch of SONY ESPN channels, will mean that our Indian networks would reach over 800 million viewers and broadcast many of the most popular and prestigious sporting events in the world.”

    Comment from Punit Goenka, Managing Director, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE)

    “This is a landmark deal for ZEE and a step towards a strategic portfolio shuffle as we grow our general entertainment business both in the domestic and overseas markets. While we have grown our sports business over the last 10 years through acquisition of content at competitive prices, our focus now is on transforming ourselves into an all-round media and content company, comprising of five verticals, viz. broadcast, digital, films, live events, and international business; and we continue to move rapidly towards our set business goals. While I have always been proud of our sports business, I strongly believe that Sony will add more value to it by taking it to even greater heights. I wish them all the success.”

  • ZEEL files Ten Sports sale details with BSE

    ZEEL files Ten Sports sale details with BSE

    MUMBAI: Further to the announcement of the acquisition of its Ten Sports Network by Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issued a disclosure report to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) giving further details of the deal.

    ZEEL stated that the sports broadcasting is housed under two companies: Taj TV Ltd, Mauritius and Taj Television (India) Pvt Ltd. The first is a step down foreign subsidiary which is involved in the broadcasting and distribution of sports content through the TEN brand of TV channels owned by it and has broadcasting rights to various sports events, including those from five cricket boards. Taj Television, a domestic wholly owned subsidiary, acts as an exclusive agent in India for down-linking, marketing, distributing and ad sales of the channels owned by Taj TV.

    It further elaborated that the sports broadcasting business contributed Rs 631 crore (net of inter company transactions), constituting 10.79 per cent of the consolidated revenue and a loss of Rs 37.20 crore in FY2015-2016.

    The sale deed involves SPN India, picking up ZEEL’s entire stake in the Indian subsidiary. Taj TV Mauritius would on a slump sale basis be selling its sports broadcasting business to Aqua Holdings Investments, Mauritius and MSM Asia Ltd, UK –affiliates of Sony Pictures Networks.

    The company states that the entire transaction would take four to five months to be completed and is subject to regulatory approvals and also certain precedent conditions being fulfilled.

  • ZEEL files Ten Sports sale details with BSE

    ZEEL files Ten Sports sale details with BSE

    MUMBAI: Further to the announcement of the acquisition of its Ten Sports Network by Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, issued a disclosure report to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) giving further details of the deal.

    ZEEL stated that the sports broadcasting is housed under two companies: Taj TV Ltd, Mauritius and Taj Television (India) Pvt Ltd. The first is a step down foreign subsidiary which is involved in the broadcasting and distribution of sports content through the TEN brand of TV channels owned by it and has broadcasting rights to various sports events, including those from five cricket boards. Taj Television, a domestic wholly owned subsidiary, acts as an exclusive agent in India for down-linking, marketing, distributing and ad sales of the channels owned by Taj TV.

    It further elaborated that the sports broadcasting business contributed Rs 631 crore (net of inter company transactions), constituting 10.79 per cent of the consolidated revenue and a loss of Rs 37.20 crore in FY2015-2016.

    The sale deed involves SPN India, picking up ZEEL’s entire stake in the Indian subsidiary. Taj TV Mauritius would on a slump sale basis be selling its sports broadcasting business to Aqua Holdings Investments, Mauritius and MSM Asia Ltd, UK –affiliates of Sony Pictures Networks.

    The company states that the entire transaction would take four to five months to be completed and is subject to regulatory approvals and also certain precedent conditions being fulfilled.

  • Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

    Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

    MUMBAI: Last month, in an interview to deadline.com, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) presidents of programming and production Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht had stated that India could be the top notch production studio’s destination following the success it had achieved in China producing television.

    Speaking to the website about growth for SPT, Amburg had said: “…Where does growth come from and where does profitability come from? I think it comes from being a smart, thoughtful, global company. And more importantly, are there still growth markets internationally? I would say a hundred percent yes. China is a very interesting market, I think a lot of people have been examining that. We’re already producing a hit series there, Mad About You, we have two or three other projects that are in the mix right now. We had a dynamic conversation today about India. We have a huge networks footprint there.”

    The network he was referring to is of course Sony Picture Networks (SPN) India, which is headed by CEO NP Singh. SPN India, has a motion picture division in India which is headed by Sneha Rajani, and which produced the successful Amitabh Bacchan-starrer Piku last year. This apart, Sony Pictures Entertainment Films has been releasing international films from its parent stable in the country.

    And today confirmation came in from SPN India that it was indeed foraying into TV production. “SPN has decided to produce fiction shows in-house for our network. While we are starting with one show, we will scale up as we go forward,” said a company spokesperson in an email response to a query from Indiantelevision.com.

    No further details were forthcoming on who would be heading the production initiative, at the time of writing.

    SPT in has an envious slate of shows to its credit: The BlackList, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Night Shift, Days of our Lives, The NightShift, BloodLine, Drop Dead Diva, The Art of More, Rules of Engagement, Dr Ken, Preacher…

    This is not the first instance that a broadcast network is getting into TV production. The Zee Network has its Essel Vision, which has been involved in many of its marquee properties. Then Star India had taken a 25.99 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms April 2004, only to exit it on 5 August 2015 at a price of Rs 108 crore.

  • Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

    Sony Pictures Networks India to foray into TV production

    MUMBAI: Last month, in an interview to deadline.com, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) presidents of programming and production Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht had stated that India could be the top notch production studio’s destination following the success it had achieved in China producing television.

    Speaking to the website about growth for SPT, Amburg had said: “…Where does growth come from and where does profitability come from? I think it comes from being a smart, thoughtful, global company. And more importantly, are there still growth markets internationally? I would say a hundred percent yes. China is a very interesting market, I think a lot of people have been examining that. We’re already producing a hit series there, Mad About You, we have two or three other projects that are in the mix right now. We had a dynamic conversation today about India. We have a huge networks footprint there.”

    The network he was referring to is of course Sony Picture Networks (SPN) India, which is headed by CEO NP Singh. SPN India, has a motion picture division in India which is headed by Sneha Rajani, and which produced the successful Amitabh Bacchan-starrer Piku last year. This apart, Sony Pictures Entertainment Films has been releasing international films from its parent stable in the country.

    And today confirmation came in from SPN India that it was indeed foraying into TV production. “SPN has decided to produce fiction shows in-house for our network. While we are starting with one show, we will scale up as we go forward,” said a company spokesperson in an email response to a query from Indiantelevision.com.

    No further details were forthcoming on who would be heading the production initiative, at the time of writing.

    SPT in has an envious slate of shows to its credit: The BlackList, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Night Shift, Days of our Lives, The NightShift, BloodLine, Drop Dead Diva, The Art of More, Rules of Engagement, Dr Ken, Preacher…

    This is not the first instance that a broadcast network is getting into TV production. The Zee Network has its Essel Vision, which has been involved in many of its marquee properties. Then Star India had taken a 25.99 per cent stake in Balaji Telefilms April 2004, only to exit it on 5 August 2015 at a price of Rs 108 crore.

  • Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) realigns key portfolios

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) realigns key portfolios

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) announced a re-alignment of key management portfolios. SPN’s International business gets consolidated within the networks’ sales and syndication business whereas SPN’s Sports business gets more closely aligned to the distribution business.

    Consequently, Rohit Gupta’s role gets expanded from SPN, network sales president to SPN’s network sales and International business president.

    SPN’s International business head Neeraj Arora will now report to Rohit Gupta.

    Rajesh Kaul’s role gets expanded to SPN Distribution and Sports president and SPN sports business head Prasana Krishnan will now report into Rajesh Kaul.

    Rohit Gupta and Rajesh Kaul have been with SPN for 14 years and 8 years respectively.

    Sony Pictures Networks CEO NP Singh said, “This realignment is configured to further our global business ambitions. It allows us to maximize complimentary synergies existing within the network and augment SPN’s consideration as a partner-of-choice by brands and businesses, alike.”

  • Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) realigns key portfolios

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) realigns key portfolios

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) announced a re-alignment of key management portfolios. SPN’s International business gets consolidated within the networks’ sales and syndication business whereas SPN’s Sports business gets more closely aligned to the distribution business.

    Consequently, Rohit Gupta’s role gets expanded from SPN, network sales president to SPN’s network sales and International business president.

    SPN’s International business head Neeraj Arora will now report to Rohit Gupta.

    Rajesh Kaul’s role gets expanded to SPN Distribution and Sports president and SPN sports business head Prasana Krishnan will now report into Rajesh Kaul.

    Rohit Gupta and Rajesh Kaul have been with SPN for 14 years and 8 years respectively.

    Sony Pictures Networks CEO NP Singh said, “This realignment is configured to further our global business ambitions. It allows us to maximize complimentary synergies existing within the network and augment SPN’s consideration as a partner-of-choice by brands and businesses, alike.”

  • SPN acquires exclusive broadcast and digital rights for 2016 Copa America Centenario in India

    SPN acquires exclusive broadcast and digital rights for 2016 Copa America Centenario in India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa America Centenario in India and the Indian sub-continent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). This year’s tournament being held in the United States of America from June 3 to June 26 will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD channels.

    As part of the rights package, the network will air all 32 matches of the tournament played across 10 venues in the United States. In addition to the live coverage, Sony ESPN channels will also broadcast the highlights of matches during the tournament. On the digital front, consumers will be able to livestream all the matches on Sony LIV.

    The Copa América Centenario is a historical once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating 100 years of the Copa América and is a special edition between the usual four-year cycles of the Copa América tournaments. For the first time since its inception, the tournament will be held outside of South America and feature the top star players from North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean like Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) Javier Hernandez (Mexico) and James Rodriguez (Colombia) to name a few.

    The Copa América Centenario is anticipated to make history with some of the biggest encounters in football. Top international teams like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Columbia, and more will face off each other on the field, all playing for the coveted trophy specially designed for the tournament.

    Sony sports cluster executive VP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “This summer promises sports history in the making with the Copa América Centenario, a once in a lifetime event which sports fans will not want to miss. The acquisition of the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa América Centenario in India and the Indian Sub-Continent re-validates the SONY Sports cluster’s leadership in being the destination for football fans.”

    “Copa América Centenario, South America’s most prestigious international competition, alongside UEFA EURO 2016, Europe’s biggest tournament on our network will undoubtedly capture the interest of every football fan. During the event, viewers will see the currently ranked top ten International teams with some of the world’s greatest football players in an amazing line-up of matches from both Copa America Centenario and UEFA EURO 2016 on the Sony sports cluster”, he added.

    Customarily contested by the 10 CONMEBOL (the South American football confederation) nations and two outside invitees, the 2016 Copa América will have 10 South American national teams joined by six 

  • SPN acquires exclusive broadcast and digital rights for 2016 Copa America Centenario in India

    SPN acquires exclusive broadcast and digital rights for 2016 Copa America Centenario in India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa America Centenario in India and the Indian sub-continent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). This year’s tournament being held in the United States of America from June 3 to June 26 will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD channels.

    As part of the rights package, the network will air all 32 matches of the tournament played across 10 venues in the United States. In addition to the live coverage, Sony ESPN channels will also broadcast the highlights of matches during the tournament. On the digital front, consumers will be able to livestream all the matches on Sony LIV.

    The Copa América Centenario is a historical once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating 100 years of the Copa América and is a special edition between the usual four-year cycles of the Copa América tournaments. For the first time since its inception, the tournament will be held outside of South America and feature the top star players from North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean like Lionel Messi (Argentina), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) Javier Hernandez (Mexico) and James Rodriguez (Colombia) to name a few.

    The Copa América Centenario is anticipated to make history with some of the biggest encounters in football. Top international teams like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Columbia, and more will face off each other on the field, all playing for the coveted trophy specially designed for the tournament.

    Sony sports cluster executive VP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “This summer promises sports history in the making with the Copa América Centenario, a once in a lifetime event which sports fans will not want to miss. The acquisition of the exclusive broadcast and digital rights to telecast the 2016 edition of Copa América Centenario in India and the Indian Sub-Continent re-validates the SONY Sports cluster’s leadership in being the destination for football fans.”

    “Copa América Centenario, South America’s most prestigious international competition, alongside UEFA EURO 2016, Europe’s biggest tournament on our network will undoubtedly capture the interest of every football fan. During the event, viewers will see the currently ranked top ten International teams with some of the world’s greatest football players in an amazing line-up of matches from both Copa America Centenario and UEFA EURO 2016 on the Sony sports cluster”, he added.

    Customarily contested by the 10 CONMEBOL (the South American football confederation) nations and two outside invitees, the 2016 Copa América will have 10 South American national teams joined by six 

  • SPN launches regional language feeds for UEFA EURO 2016 in India

    SPN launches regional language feeds for UEFA EURO 2016 in India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has launched multi-language feeds for its international football property UEFA EURO 2016. The network will roll-out feeds in six languages namely English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam for the tournament.

    The company is aimed at bringing the tournament closer to the TV viewing audience by presenting the content in a localized format for viewers across Indian markets through its multiple language feed.

    Regional feeds for broadcasting sports properties was a pioneering initiative by SPN in India with the Bengali feed on Sony AATH for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

    UEFA EURO 2016 is one of the biggest international football tournaments in the world and will commence on 10 June 2016 until the finals that take place on 10 July 2016.  It showcases the best of football and will have some of the finest European teams including the two time defending champions, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, England and many more playing for the coveted title of European Champions.

    The network recently launched its time to switch campaign with a notion of viewers switching from other sports to football and the multi-language feeds giving viewers another reason to switch to the tournament.

    The tournament will be telecasted live and exclusive on Sony SIX and Sony ESPN channels at primetime slots of 6:30 pm, 9:30 pm and 12:30 am. Sony SIX will telecast the English language feed for the tournament while Sony ESPN will give viewers the option of Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu language feeds. On the digital front, Sony LIV will live stream all the matches.