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Tag: Sony Pictures

  • TDSAT directs BECIL to conduct re-audit of Skynet’s systems in Uttar Pradesh

    TDSAT directs BECIL to conduct re-audit of Skynet’s systems in Uttar Pradesh

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has asked BECIL to re-conduct the audit of the head end of Skynet Digital Service Pvt Ltd in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The decision has been taken on the request of Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India Pvt Ltd, who on several grounds has been denying the MSO to cover the whole of the north Indian state. The interim order in this regard, in favour of Skynet, will stand functional till the next hearing that has been scheduled for 11 April 2019.

    Skynet had moved TDSAT with the matter last year stating that there was stiff opposition from broadcasters, including Zee Entertainment and Star India Pvt Ltd along with SPN, when it went ahead to extend its area of operation to the whole of Uttar Pradesh.

    Responding to the case, BECIL had conducted an audit of the head end of the MSO in January 2018 and then again in August 2018.  It was found that Skynet’s system was compliant with the necessary regulations. While the other two broadcasters stood satisfied with the output, SPN was granted the permission to conduct its own audit of the MSO’s systems.

    The audit was conducted in February last year and the report was submitted to the MSO in the month of April. Skynet filed its response to the report in July 2018.

    However, in the latest hearing SPN highlighted a series of issues in Skynet’s system based on its audit, which the latter stated were not incorporated in the earlier audit report submitted to it. The MSO also alleged that SPN is acting in collusion with Den Networks Ltd, which is its competitor in the state.

    SPN stated that though it had entered into an agreement with it as per the interim direction of this tribunal, it is bent upon raising one or the other grievance in the name of audit only to please Den Networks Ltd.

    The three major complaints raised by SPN against Skynet are: “Package Alternation Logs not provided from all the three CAS. Historical package channel composition not provided from two of the CAS; On analysing the package-wise channel composition as per the three CAS and SMS, differences were observed in the channel composition of CAS and SMS; On analysing the package-wise channel composition as per the three CAS and SMS, differences were observed in the channel composition of CAS and SMS.”

    As per details, three SPN channels namely, Animax, Sony Aath, and Tez were to be found only in SMS but not in CAS. The broadcaster thus had requested the tribunal that either it should be permitted to conduct the further audit or the three major areas of concern highlighted earlier may be referred to BECIL for its scrutiny, analysis, and opinion.

    Skynet though refuted all the claims made against it by SPN. It has stated that it has no qualms in BECIL conducting an audit of its systems again.

    The tribunal thus noted, “BECIL shall be at liberty to do whatever is required for giving a firm opinion in respect of the three issues noted above and to record its opinion whether the Skynet Digital Service Pvt Ltd’s head-end and system is regulation compliant, particularly, in view of the three allegations noted above. It will be for BECIL to decide what materials are relevant and whether fresh materials are required or not.  The cost of this exercise to be done by BECIL shall be met by the respondent (Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd), broadcaster for the present. It is expected that BECIL shall submit a report within six weeks.”

  • Cosmos-Maya Wins coveted Filmy Cricket League

    Cosmos-Maya Wins coveted Filmy Cricket League

    MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya, the market leader in original Indian animation content creation in kids’ space, recently won the Filmy Cricket League, held in Mumbai.

    The Filmy Cricket League (FCL), in its 7th edition, saw the participation of major media houses like Disney, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Fox Star Studios, among others.

    A conscientious company that earnestly believes in encouraging team spirit and unity, Cosmos-Maya has undertaken numerous team building activities for this purpose. One of these attempts included having a Cricket team in place for participation in sporting events like the Filmy Cricket League. Cosmos-Maya has been a regular at the event ever since its inception. However, this year, it exceeded everyone’s expectations by comprehensively winning every match it played in the tournament.

    Commenting on this victory, Anish Mehta, CEO, Cosmos Maya, said, “It has been our endeavor to provide our employees with the perfect blend of work and play. Whether it was the selection trials or the tournament itself, the response from Cosmos-Mayaites was phenomenal. Our efforts to inculcate a sense of team spirit through sporting activities, have proven to be successful.”

    The 7th edition of Filmy Cricket League was held on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of December, 2018.

  • Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins hops to Sony Pictures

    Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins hops to Sony Pictures

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra has recruited former lieutenant, Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins, to fill the top job that had been vacant since the departure of Sony Pictures TV chairman Steve Mosko seventeen months ago.

    At Hulu, Hopkins will be succeeded by Randy Freer, president and COO of Fox Networks Group and current Hulu board member.

    Hopkins has been named chairman, Sony Pictures Network, overseeing all television production, distribution and marketing operations globally for the studio, as well as SPE’s media networks business. He will start in late November and report to Vinciquerra.

    Hopkins had been president of distribution for Fox Networks Group under FNG chairman and CEO Vinciquerra until Vinciquerra’s 2011 exit from Fox. Hopkins was named CEO of Hulu in 2013 amid turmoil at the streaming service, co-owned by 21st Century Fox, Disney, NBCUniversal and Time Warner, which at the time had been run by an interim CEO while its owners were exploring a sale. Over the past four years, Hopkins has built up the company, which doubled revenue and tripled its market valuation and recently made Emmy history with 10 statuettes, becoming the first streaming service to land a Best Series Emmy for breakout drama The Handmaid’s Tale.

    Vinciquerra said, “Mike is a proven and innovative leader who has played a key role in redefining today’s television landscape, both for consumers and for how content producers reach them.”

    Hopkins’ appointment will streamline Sony’s reporting structure on the TV side. Following Mosko’s departure, all of his key reports — presidents of programming and production Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, president of worldwide networks Andy Kaplan, president of distribution Keith Le Goy, and president of ad sales & research Amy Carney — began reporting directly to Vinciquerra’s predecessor Michael Lynton. The setup remained the same when Vinciquerra came on board earlier this year, with Jeff Frost succeeding Van Amburg and Erlicht as a direct report when the two left in June. (Frost was named president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, overseeing domestic production sans international and marketing which had been part of Van Amburg and Erlicht’s purview, with Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter upped to co-presidents.)

    Moving forward, the heads of SPT’s domestic and international television production, distribution, advertiser sales and research, marketing and Sony Pictures Worldwide Networks will report to Hopkins.

    Hopkins’ departure from Hulu, which has been on an upswing, capped by the Emmy triumph of The Handmaid’s Tale, is somewhat surprising. Still, Hulu is a far away from catching up with SVOD leader Netflix.

    “Tony has long been a colleague and mentor of mine, and I’m really excited to join him and the rest of the talented team at SPE,” said Hopkins. “There is a tremendous opportunity to build on SPT’s momentum globally and I look forward to working with the team to realise that potential.”

    Under Hopkins, a 20-year industry veteran, Hulu has grown its audience to 47 million total unique viewers; expanded its business to include live news, entertainment and sports in addition to its existing SVOD offering; and entered premium original programming with Casual, The Mindy Project, The Path and The Handmaid’s Tale. On the acquisition front, Hulu has signed deals for movies from Epix, full libraries of exclusive programming from AMC Networks and FX Productions, as well as all episodes of such current and classic series as This is Us, Homeland, Black-ish, Seinfeld, CSI, Empire, Fargo, Nashville, Golden Girls and South Park.

    As President of Distribution for Fox Networks, Hopkins oversaw the distribution strategy, sales and marketing for the company’s 45 linear and non-linear U.S. channels, as well as on-demand and digital extensions. His team also developed authenticated and digital video products BTN2GO and Fox Now.

    The independent Sony Pictures TV Studios, which is facing increasing challenges and has been fighting its way through increasing vertical integration, will produce or co-produce more than 30 broadcast, cable and digital series on air in the 2017-2018 season. That includes The Blacklist and The Goldbergs, now in their fifth seasons; breakout new ABC drama The Good Doctor, already renewed for a full season; CBS’ S.W.A.T.; as well as The Tick, Atypical, Better Call Saul, Preacher, Outlander, The $100,000 Pyramid, SuperMansion and the upcoming Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and Cobra Kai.

    Sony TV projects with big production commitment by the broadcast networks include Norman Lear’s Guess Who Died for NBC, Carol Mendohlson and David Hudgins’ Chiefs for CBS, and an untitled Gloria Calderon project for CBS.

  • Singtel’s CAST adds HOOQ to OTT content line-up, three-month trial offered

    Singtel’s CAST adds HOOQ to OTT content line-up, three-month trial offered

    MUMBAI: Singtel’s OTT video portal app CAST is bringing a new world of entertainment to Singtel postpaid mobile, fibre broadband and Singtel TV customers with the addition of HOOQ.

    HOOQ’s extensive library of over 20,000 movies and TV series can be viewed on mobile, tablets, and even big TV screens enabled with Android TV and Google Chromecast. Customers will be spoilt for choice with programmes by HOOQ’s network of studio partners such as Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, DreamWorks, Lionsgate and over a hundred Asian studios. From Hollywood blockbusters such as Captain America: the First Avenger, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Thor, to popular shows such as The Flash and Supergirl, HOOQ is the only video-on-demand service in Singapore to offer selected Hollywood movies from 90 days of cinema release and TV series with same-day telecasts as the U.S.

    Singtel MD – home, at consumer Singapore Goh Seow Eng said, “Hollywood, Asian and kids’ content is extremely popular with our customers. We are pleased to offer HOOQ’s vast selection in the palm of their hands or comfort of their own homes. We will continue to expand CAST’s content library for our customers’ enjoyment.”

    HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos said, “We are very excited about our partnership with Singtel and proud to bring Singaporeans more of the latest! Binge now on Supergirl, The Flash and Lucifer before catching the latest season the same day as the U.S.! Soon, HOOQ will be bringing three of Marvel’s latest series – Marvel’s Inhumans, Marvel’s Runaways and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger – the same day as the U.S. telecast! We are always looking for new ways and new titles to keep Singaporeans HOOQ’d month after month!”

    As an introductory offer, Singtel postpaid customers can get a three-month trial on HOOQ with a 12-month contract and pay only S$4.90/month subsequently.

    For customers who opt for a non-contract subscription, they will pay only S$7.90/month.

    HOOQ is the latest addition to CAST’s wide range of content such as Aneka Plus, Asian Plus, Fox+, Variety Plus, Viu Premium and more.

    Singtel postpaid customers can subscribe to HOOQ and enjoy:

    · The best of Hollywood – movies available from 90 days of cinema release and the latest TV series on the same day telecast as the U.S.

    · The largest selection of the best hits – 20,000 movies and TV series for the price of one movie ticket

    · Entertainment for the whole family – including younger kids who can catch their favourite animated series such as Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Mr. Bean and more

    · Unlimited online viewing using up to five devices – download anytime, anywhere

    · An ad-free experience – uninterrupted viewing without ads

  • Sony Pictures acquires telecast & digital rights of Hero Caribbean Premier League in six countries, starts today

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) has pocketed the exclusive broadcasting rights to the much-anticipated Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

    The league that has a fusillade of cricket stars such as Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Bravo, will commence on 4 August 2017 and conclude on 9 September 2017.

    Besides India, the league will be telecast live in the Indian sub-continent including countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.

    Sony Pictures Network, that comprises India’s premier sports channels, has also acquired the digital rights for the tournament and will live stream the matches in Afghanistan over and above these six countries on its digital platform, SonyLiv.

    The tournament will be held across six scenic venues in the Caribbean and for the second time the fixtures will be played in Lauderhill, Florida, USA. This year the teams will include the likes of Jamaica Tallawahs, Trinbago Knight Riders, Tridents – Pride of Barbados, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Stars and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, all battling it out in an initial group stage format before progressing to the knock out matches.

    The opening match of the league will see St. Lucia Stars take on the Trinbago Knight Riders to be held at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium (named after the St. Lucia Stars captain) on 4th August at 6:30 a.m.only on SONY ESPN. The game that day will see the likes of Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson and Daren Sammy himself battle it out at the stadium. The remaining matches will be televised on SONY SIX & SONY SIX HD.

    Sony Pictures Networks India president – distribution and sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “At SPN, it is our constant endeavour to showcase the finest cricketing action. The T20 format has always been favoured by cricket enthusiasts and we are thrilled to broadcast the CPL for the fifth successive year. This year, the CPL matches will be broadcast in six different countries and be live streamed on our digital platform, SonyLIV.”

    CPL chief operations officer Pete Russell said, “We are delighted to continue our broadcast partnership with Sony Pictures Sports Network. Across the Indian subcontinent, there are huge supporters of CPL who have a keen interest in this league.”

  • Sony Pictures IMS acquires majority stake in ad network Httpool

    MUMBAI: IMS Internet Media Services (IMS), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television Networks and one of the largest digital ad sales and media buying companies in Latin America, has announced it has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Httpool, an international cross channel ad network, with a presence in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.

    Subject to regulatory approval, the deal will create one of the largest digital marketing and ad sales companies in the industry, with a combined operation supporting more than 6000 agencies and brands worldwide, and exclusively representing Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify and more than 5000 global and local publishers across 30 countries in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions.

    This alliance includes acquisition of Httpool India that was founded in 2010 and has offices in Mumbai & Delhi, working with over 300 brands and executing over 2500 campaigns annually, across all channels of digital advertising. This partnership with IMS will give Httpool India access to a diverse range of products and technologies from enriched markets, as well as knowledge sharing of best practices, that will not only expand their portfolio but also help in their endeavor to change the dynamics of Indian digital advertising.

    “This acquisition will enable IMS to develop some of the highest-potential geographies across Europe and Asia, and create a truly global company. IMS and Httpool together can offer an end-to-end solution in digital marketing campaign delivery, helping partners with our deep knowledge of local markets, and empowering local publishers, advertisers and 1000s of digital professionals and entrepreneurs,” said IMS CEO Gastón Taratuta.

    “With the coming together of IMS and Httpool, we enhance our digital offerings to include superior services for ad targeting and delivery. Moreover, this allows SPN to augment its service offerings to an already robust list of advertisers. This initiative will go a long way in helping us grow our digital business,” said Sony Pictures Network India CEO NP Singh.

    “We have always been committed to providing cutting edge technology and media products along with exceptional services with access to best practices, and joining the Sony-IMS family enables us in taking this ambition forward. Integration of Sony’s eminent presence in the country and Httpool’s expertise will further elevate the digital advertising experience for all our partners and provide us with a platform to create a greater impact in an exhaustive market like India. This association will not only help Httpool India to showcase our expertise but also fuel our growth to help expand our proprietary solutions across the market,” added Httpool India MD Sunny Nagpal.

    “Httpool and its team established an amazing international position, developed complementary ad technologies and share the same entrepreneurial values as IMS. By joining forces, the two groups can make a lasting impact on the broader digital ecosystem through continuous innovation, openness, creativity and partnerships,” Taratuta added.

  • Sony Pictures & global banks among targets of N. Korean hackers, says Group-IB

    MUMBAI: Group-IB, one of the global leaders in providing high-grade Threat Intelligence and best in class anti-fraud solutions vendor, has published a detailed report leaving no doubt that Lazarus, a cyber gang that attempted to steal about 1 billion USD from the Central Bank of Bangladesh and compromised a number of Polish banks, was connected to North Korea. Deep analysis of the cybercriminals’ Command & Control infrastructure as well as detailed Threat Intelligence information enabled the researchers to prove that the attacks were managed from Pyongyang.

    Group-IB is one of the global leaders in preventing and investigating high-tech crimes and online fraud. The company is recognized by Gartner as a threat intelligence vendor with strong cyber security focus and the ability to provide leading insight to the Eastern European region and recommended by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

    What is Lazarus?

    Lazarus (also known as Dark Seoul Gang) is known to DDoS and hack governmental, military, and aerospace institutions worldwide. The earliest known attack that the group is responsible for is known as “Troy Operation”, which took place from 2009-2012. This was a cyber-espionage campaign that utilized unsophisticated DDoS techniques to target the South Korean government in Seoul. They are also responsible for attacks in 2011 and 2013. A notable hack that the group is known for is the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures, when personal information about the employees and their families, internal e-mails, copies of then-unreleased Sony films as well as other information was published. The Sony attack used more sophisticated techniques and highlighted how advanced the group has become over time. When the global economic pressure on North Korea increased, Lazarus shifted its focus to international financial organizations for financial and espionage gains. In 2016, the group attempted to steal about $951mln from the Central Bank of Bangladesh SWIFT; however, a mistake in a payment request cut the criminals’ income to only $81 mln.

    What’s so peculiar about Group-IB’s report?

    Previous reports were focused on either malware analysis, or the attribution based on malware analysis. However, since the attribution based on malware code similarities is not always reliable, Group-IB has focused on infrastructure research. The company’s experts conducted an in-depth investigation of Lazarus activity and gained unique insight into their complex botnet infrastructure built by the hacker group to conduct their attacks. Despite the complex three-layer architecture, encrypted channels, VPN services, and other advanced techniques, the researchers managed to identify that the group was operating from Potonggang District, North Korea — perhaps coincidentally, where National Defense Commission was located, previously the highest military body in North Korea. 

    Dmitry Volkov, Head of Threat Intelligence Department and сo-founder of Group-IB: “Our research testified that North Korean Lazarus group is taking extraordinary precaution measures, dividing the attacks into several stages and launching all the modules manually. So that even if the attack is detected, it would take security researchers much time and effort to investigate it. To mask malicious activity, the hackers used a three-layer C&C infrastructure and pretended to be Russians.”

    Through analysis of compromised networks, Group-IB identified IP addresses of universities in the US, Canada, Great Britain, India, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, pharmaceutical companies in Japan and China, as well as government subnets in various countries.

    “Taking into consideration strengthening economic sanctions against North Korea, as well as the geopolitical tension in the region, we expect a new wave of Lazarus attacks against global financial institutions. With that said, we strongly recommend the banks learn more about targeted attacks’ tactics and techniques, increase corporate cybersecurity awareness, and cooperate with the companies providing relevant Threat Intelligence,” Volkov added.

  • Is Sony Pictures getting a raw deal as studios war over Bond rights?

    MUMBAI: Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, and 20th Century Fox are among the Hollywood studio majors fighting for the rights to distribute ‘Bond 25’. Universal Pictures, Times and Annapurna are also warring for the rights to distribute the forthcoming James Bond movie.

    The rights to all 007 films are owned by EON and MGM, but they only produce the movies and need a distributor to handle the marketing, PTI reported. Sony Pictures was chosen for the job starting with ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006 and continued until 2015 with ‘Spectre’.

    Sony, under its previous agreement, paid 50 per cent of the production costs for ‘Spectre’ — which was around USD 250 million — but only received 25 per cent of certain profits, once costs were recouped, according to a report.

    Sony also shelled out tens of millions of dollars for the sake of marketing and gave MGM a share of the profit from non-Bond films Sony had in its pipeline, including ’22 Jump Street’.

    Now, MGM and EON are allegedly offering a one-film contract only. MGM, which is owned by private equity firms, including Anchorage Capital Partners, probably wants to keep its options open as it considers a public offer or sale, the report added.

  • No claim on concept copyright, HC denies relief to Zee in case against Sony

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has not granted relief to Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and dismissed the notice of motion in a commercial suit filed against Sony Pictures, alleging copyright infringement.

    Advocate Ravi Kadam represented Zee, whereas advocate VV Tulzapurkar represented defendant Sony and advocate Janak Dwarkadas appeared for defendant Frames Production.

    Zee had claimed that Sony Pictures Networks India had illegally copied its popular show India’s Best Dramebaaz, a talent hunt programme for child actors. Zee said Sony had infringed its copyright in its ““production bible” and concept note”. The said bible is a document that explains most aspects of production.

    After hearing both parties, Justice GS Patel read out the order. Justice Patel stated, “What Zee needs to be able to show is that there is something in its production bible, concept note or in its show that is utterly and identifiably original and that this has been copied by Sony. Zee must specify what precisely it claims to monopolize.”

    Zee had claimed that Frames had told Zee that it will not be pursuing this idea further. However, when in January 2017, Zee wanted to launch Season 3 of ‘Dramebaaz,’ Frames said they had “sold” the concept to Sony.

    Zee then complained to SPNI. Sony submitted before the court that it is, in fact, developing ‘Sabse Bada Kalakar’, a kids talent hunt programme for which it had its own production bible and concept note.

    Justice Patel finally said: “In my view, the manner in which the selections are made and the trajectories of the two shows are quite distinct. The fact that both feature children, the fact that both seek out children with acting talent, the fact that both seek out children with acting talent, the fact that they seek out children with acting talent from different cities, and the fact that they seek out the best of these is hardly something in which anyone can claim any copyright.”

  • Sony Pictures’ new CSR for underprivileged

    MUMBAI: Supporting the cause of empowering India’s underprivileged youth through sports, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has partnered with an NGO ‘Slum Soccer’ to launch The National Inclusion Cup, the only national football tournament of its kind for underprivileged youth. This is a CSR initiative of Sony Pictures Networks India.

    ‘Slum Soccer’ aims to change life in the slums, where the game of football is used as a means to connect individuals, teaching life skills and working towards improving overall quality of life for underprivileged youth. Initiated by the Slum Soccer team in 2001, The National Inclusion Cup has steadily grown over the years, with teams from all over the country competing to win the prestigious title. With SPN’s support, this year the Slum Soccer team will be able to expand participation and provide better training facilities to the youth.

    To be held in Mumbai for the first time, the five-day football tournament will commence on 13 February at the Andheri Sports Complex. This year teams from Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Vidharbha, Orissa, Gujarat, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh will participate. For this event, Slum Soccer also invites several local non-profit organizations such as Dream a Dream, Cequin, Oscar, YFC Rurka Kalan, Maher, Jeet Foundation, Khelduar, Childreach International, Karmic Foundation, Sparky Football, Leher Foundation, amongst others to bring teams to participate in the cup.

    The league-cum-knock out tournament is designed to be competitive, but its special structure lays emphasis on fair play. This year’s tournament will see a total participation of 40 teams (24 men and 16 women teams) from India. For the first time an international men’s team from Nepal will also be a part of this event.

    Once the tournament in India concludes, the final selected teams comprising of 8 men and 8 women players each, will represent India at the 15th Homeless World Cup in Oslo, Norway from August 29 to September 5, 2017. The selected players will receive intensive coaching, practice and social skills training for the Homeless World Cup, where 63 nations meet every year for the World Championship.

    Staying true to its commitment of supporting Empowerment through Sports, this year, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) will support over 400 participants of the tournament including coaches, volunteers and support staff. With SPN’s support, a soccer arena of international specifications has been imported from Scotland, so that participants can practice, train and prepare for the international championship.

    Popular Bollywood actor, youth icon and avid football fan Siddharth Malhotra, has also joined the cause and will kick off the tournament. Former Homeless World Cup director Andy Hook of StreetSoccer, Scotland will be the tournament director, Anju Turambekar, Grassroots Director, All India Football Federation (AIFF) will referee and oversee the competition.

    Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “Sony Pictures Networks India is proud to take up initiatives of empowering India’s youth. True to its name, The National Inclusion Cup, offers its participants the opportunity to engage and improve lives through one of the world’s most popular sport, football. Our long-term vision is to support more such initiatives that inspire, motivate and provide equal opportunity to our country’s young underprivileged talent. In the process, we aim to continue facilitating the spirit of ‘Ek India Happywala’, which is the theme for our CSR initiatives. I wish the participants and organizers the very best for the tournament.”

    Actor Siddharth Malhotra says, “It is a pleasure to inaugurate The National Inclusion Cup 2017. I believe that it is of paramount importance for the underprivileged youth to engage in outdoor activities and there should be equal opportunities available to them everywhere. I am pleased to support such a program that empowers our youth and acts as a catalyst to create a better life for them.”

    Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse says, “Slum Soccer fosters sustainable development within the marginalized population of India, using football to bring about a change in the lives of street dwellers. We aim to provide long term solutions to combat homelessness and improve living standards in underprivileged areas. Sports is therapeutic and we aim to give these youth hope and purpose. With the support of Sony Pictures Networks India, we will be able to increase our reach, the number of individuals we can impact as well as improve the quality of that impact. We are grateful to Sony Pictures Networks for believing in this cause of connecting individuals, teaching life skills and working towards improving the overall quality of life through football.”

    In addition to The National Inclusion Cup, SPN supports Slum Soccer with other worthy projects such as EduKick and Game Changers. EduKick aims to improve educational outcomes by instilling physical fitness and facilitating personal development in children especially young girls, through the medium of football. Game Changers prepares youth with life and leadership skills by engaging them in challenging societal improvement projects.

    Project Objectives

    Improving participation amongst underprivileged girls and boys in a football tournament

    Scout for young talent to represent India at the prestigious international tournament ‘Homeless World Cup’

    Create a platform to share ideas, learnings and challenges with other grassroots organisations that work in the space of Sports4Development