ITV

Tag: SONY TEN 2

  • Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the prestigious football award—the 2022 Ballon d’Or—in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka—and non-exclusive rights in Pakistan. The broadcaster will telecast the Ballon d’Or ceremony live on Sony Ten 2 channels on 17 October 2022, at 10:20 p.m. IST. The awards will also be live-streamed on SPN’s on-demand OTT platform, SonyLIV.

    The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award hosted by France Football that honours top football players across various European clubs. Considered amongst the top football awards, the Ballon d’Or has played a significant role in recognising the greatest football players across the world. The award, which dates back to 1956, has seen some great players rise to fame, from Stanley Matthews to Lionel Messi. In 2018, the marquee award started honouring top female players, and Ada Hegerberg became the first female footballer to receive the Ballon d’Or.

    The 66th edition of the marquee awards will go down in history as it will be the first time the results will be announced based on season and not year. With seven-time winner Lionel Messi out of the race, the 2022 Ballon d’Or will see a new winner as top football players gear up for the night. While the nominees were announced this year on 12 August, fans are rooting for Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to steal the show and win the coveted award. Other players cutting it close in the race include Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. In the women’s category, Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Alexia Putellas, lead the nominee list as fan favourites, followed by Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Beth Mead.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head of sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “The Ballon d’Or is considered the top football honour across the globe, and it is our privilege to be associated with such a prestigious award. The award is a pinnacle of recognition for football players worldwide, and we endeavour to provide such content to fans in India. The Ballon d’Or has recognised the greatest footballers in the past and continues to do so as football fans across the nation wait eagerly to see their favourite player crowned as the winner and enter the greatest of the greats club.”

  • UEFA Champions League returns to SONY TEN 2 channels on 17 September

    UEFA Champions League returns to SONY TEN 2 channels on 17 September

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network will bring the upcoming season of the most prestigious football club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League to Indian audiences 17th September 2019 onwards. The matches featuring the best football players in premier clubs from top European leagues, will be telecast only on SONY TEN 2 channels. SPSN also recently launched its campaign for the mega tournament, #SonaManaHai, which captures the sentiments of all Indian football fans and preps them for the upcoming season.

    As the world’s biggest football club tournament, UEFA Champions League is contested by the top-division European clubs vying to be crowned the kings of Europe. Last year, fans went through an emotional roller coaster during matches that featured Liverpool FC, Barcelona FC, Manchester City FC, AFC Ajax and Real Madrid CF amongst others and this year will prove to be no less. The biggest footballing rivalries in the world like Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos vs Mohamed Salah and more, along with football greats returning to their former home grounds can be found only in UEFA Champions League on Sony Pictures Sports Network in India.

    Among the most followed football club competitions, UEFA Champions League is enjoyed equally by hardcore football fans and fringe viewers. #SonaManaHai is a light-hearted tongue in cheek approach that captures the sentiments of football fans who are excited about the UEFA Champions League but regret missing the matches due to the late-night timings. The campaign has been rolled out in four languages: English, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali to encourage Indian audiences from across the country to tune-in to SONY TEN 2 channels for the best footballing action in the world. 

    The #SonaManaHai campaign film opens with Raj Kumar Rastogi (essayed by internet star Gopal Dutt) walking into the office and asking a colleague about the results of the previous night's UEFA Champion's League match. The colleague is amazed that Rastogi didn't watch the match as he went to bed early. The film showcases different characters of society, including a canteen boy and railway announcer amongst others expressing their shock and disappointment on Rastogi sleeping through the matches. Rastogi wakes up in a sweat realizing this was a dream and realizes ‘Sona Mana Hai’ when the world's biggest football club tournament is on!

    To engage viewers, SPSN will also have a host of panelists for their live studio show who will provide extensive pre, mid and post-match analyses for every matchday. The guest panelists, who will appear in a rotation, include former football players and now renowned football pundits Ashely Westwood, Mark Seagraves and Terry Phelan for the first three matchdays.

  • Football fans gear up for Serie A, the top-tier Italian football league on Sony Pictures Sports Network

    Football fans gear up for Serie A, the top-tier Italian football league on Sony Pictures Sports Network

    MUMBAI: The upcoming season of Serie A will be the 118th season of top-tier Italian football and fans can expect nothing less than non-stop nail-biting action from August 24, 2019 to May 24, 2020 live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels.

    Serie A is amongst the premier football leagues in the world and hosts some of the most famous football clubs like Juventus FC, AC Milan, AS Roma, Napoli SSC and Inter Milan among others. The league is ranked third among European leagues according to UEFA's league coefficient and is home to some of the world’s best footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Gonzalo Higuain, Lorenzo Insigne, Romelu Lukaku and Matthis De Ligt to name a few.

    It’s well-known that football is interwoven in the Italian fabric and club rivalries run beyond just teams and there is a lot to look forward to in Serie A this season.

    · “The Phenomenon” – Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid to Juventus FC did send reverberations across the footballing world. However, Juventus has hugely benefitted from his presence and is all set for his second season with them. Stay tuned to see if he can be the messiah in raising Juventus FC to domestic and European grandeurs this season.

    · Playground of Success – Serie A has been the playground in which many of the greatest managers in history cut their teeth before achieving success elsewhere. The tactical rigor of Serie A has produced some of the finest innovators in the game such as Maurizio Sarri, who returns to the Italian league but this time managing his previous nemesis, Juventus FC.

    · Key Transfers – Change is the only constant, but in football, it makes and breaks the teams. This season, there have been some major shifts as Juventus made a big statement by signing the teenage defender, Matthis De Ligt, for a fee of $84.3 million and Romelu Lukaku made his move from Manchester United FC to FC Inter Milan.

    · Fiercest Rivalries – With many Serie A clubs hailing from Italy’s major cities, there are a plethora of derbies – Juventus and Fiorentina share Serie A’s most bitter rivalry followed by The Milan Derby which is the most awaited fixture in the Italian football calendar and finally Lazio Vs. Roma which is billed as the battle of Rome, a fixture where the fans take center stage.

    The Italian league has been gaining in popularity in India over the past few years and became the most sampled international football league in the 2018/19 season. Fans in India can catch Serie A live on SPSN channels, along with a vast bouquet of premier football properties like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019 and many more.

  • Sony Pictures Networks India retains the exclusive media rights of the world’s largest MMA promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), until 2023

    Sony Pictures Networks India retains the exclusive media rights of the world’s largest MMA promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), until 2023

    Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPN) has retained the exclusive media rights for the premier mixed martial arts promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) till 2023. The extended partnership with UFCÒ will help SPN to build on the enduring popularity of combat sports in the Indian subcontinent. Fans can watch the LIVE telecast of all the UFC Fight Nights and PPVs, featuring the best MMA talent battle it out inside the world-famous OctagonÒ, live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels. UFC content will also be available on SPN’s premium video on demand (VOD) service, SonyLIV.

    In order to meet the growing demand for UFC, owing to the rise in its popularity, SPN is telecasting thematic content ranging from highlights of recent UFC events as well as iconic bouts, fighter stories, countdown shows, and previews of upcoming UFC events. Viewers can tune in at 7:00 PM every Monday to Friday to watch this engaging content on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels. In addition to this, there will also be a repeat telecast at 11:00 PM for viewers who missed the original airing. Top MMA fighters like UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, former UFC women’s bantamweight  champion Holly Holm, and UFC heavyweight Derrick Lews, along with past fighters such as former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and  former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will be prominently featured.

    Comments:

    Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India:

    “UFC is the gold standard for the sport of MMA across the globe and features the highest level of talent in their roster. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady growth in consumption of the sport and around 100 million viewers watched UFC on Indian television in 2018. UFC has garnered a dedicated fan base over the past few years and is one of the most watched fight sports properties in India. To meet the growing demand for UFC content, we will telecast both live events and non-live content on the SONY TEN 2 channels.”

    Fans can also catch the exciting content on SONY TEN 2 channels at 7:00PM and the repeat telecast at 11:00PM.

    ·         Monday – Countdown shows on the most iconic moments and fighters in in the history of UFC

    ·         Tuesday – Highlights of the most recent UFC event

    ·         Wednesday – Throwback stories behind individual classic and iconic bouts in UFC history

    ·         Thursday –A ‘best of’ compilations of popular fighters or classic bouts

    ·         Friday – Contemporary UFC news and preview stories ahead of the upcoming UFC event on the weekend

  • Sony Pictures Networks’ sports cluster’s year in review, road ahead

    Sony Pictures Networks’ sports cluster’s year in review, road ahead

    MUMBAI: In the tough two-horse race of Indian sports broadcasting, Sony Pictures Networks has had a slight edge over Star India when it comes to football events, while the latter holds the sway in Indian cricket. Currently, the NP Singh-led network is in charge of premier football properties like La Liga, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup. 

    SPN India has also invested in domestic leagues, firmly believing that such products are not only gaining prominence but are bound to witness a formidable growth in the future. One such success story is the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), which will return to SPN for its fourth edition. Besides this, the network will also broadcast the inaugural edition of the Pro Volleyball League that has gained considerable steam of late.

    Multi-sporting destination

    2018 was a successful year for the broadcaster in terms of multi-sporting properties, with big-ticket events like Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup, NBA and Asian Games helping it differentiate itself from others.

    “Multi-sports viewing is on the uptake and we will continue to provide our viewers diverse content across different sports categories along with innovative programming initiatives to increase our penetration in both urban and rural markets,” SPN India chief revenue officer and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said.

    SPN has been the home of La Liga for the past four seasons in India. However, last year Facebook won the media rights for the top tier of Spanish football for the Indian subcontinent for three seasons starting 2018-19. The deal with the social media giant was the first of its kind for La Liga.

    While the 380 matches were to be available for free to people on Facebook in eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Facebook and SPN reached an agreement wherein the broadcaster earned the right to air over 100 games via its sports cluster.

    The deal will allow SPN to broadcast key clashes including the El Clasico and Madrid Derby across its sports channels as well as SonyLIV.

    Record-breaking show

    The headline act for SPN in 2018 was the FIFA World Cup. There was a humungous buzz around the tournament this time as it aired during primetime in India after almost two editions. The broadcaster had four language feeds for the showpiece event, which was telecast on Sony Ten 2 in English, Sony Ten 3 in Hindi and Bengali and Malayalam audio feeds on Sony ESPN.

    A total of 110.5 million viewers in India watched the quadrennial event, according to the broadcaster. The tournament had 64 live matches aired across Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3, Sony ESPN channels and their HD versions.

    The broadcaster, which had managed to attract more than 40 advertisers on television, is estimated to have pocketed close to Rs 200 crore in advertising revenue. The 2014 edition had fetched the network Rs 100 crore in ad revenue.

    70 million viewers across India tuned in to watch the World Cup on SPN’s OTT SonyLIV. The average time spent per viewer was 15-16 minutes per match.

    “Sports’ viewing as a trend is becoming participative and we saw an opportunity to launch interactive engagement for our viewers in both entertainment and sports. Second screen engagement and interactivity is moving to the forefront and we will continue with his trend as it gives viewers deeper insights and a more immersive experience. While TV is still the preferred choice for sports viewing, we have observed trends of a growing user base on digital platforms for sports viewing in 2018 and we see it strengthening its position further in 2019,” Kaul added.

    Cricket rights play

    When it comes to cricket, SPN currently holds the broadcast rights for eight boards – Cricket Australia, England and Wales Cricket Board, Pakistan Cricket Board, Sri Lanka Cricket, Cricket South Africa, Cricket West Indies, Cricket Ireland and Zimbabwe Cricket Board. 

    It had acquired exclusive media rights from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the Indian subcontinent for a period of five years from 2018 through 2022. This agreement with ECB gives SPN the rights to both televise and digitally broadcast within the Indian subcontinent, men’s and women’s international matches, including Test matches, T20 Internationals and ODIs, played in England.

    SPNI also acquired the media rights for T10 Cricket League for three years (2018-20) for the Indian sub-continent and Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The broadcaster also had the rights for T10 Cricket League in 2017.

    The broadcaster currently has 10 channels in its sports bouquet after the network pulled the plug on Sony Ten Golf HD in the wake of TRAI’s new tariff order.

    The Prasar Bharati problem

    In October, MIB proposed to amend the Sports Act 2007 to offer ‘sports events of national importance’ on Prasar Bharati-owned free-to-air Doordarshan Network, an extended reach via private direct to home and cable TV Networks.

    The move to amend the Sports Act 2007 has been necessitated due to a Supreme Court verdict which held that the public broadcaster Doordarshan cannot air events of national importance on private distribution platforms.

    In the same month, MIB issued a notice for receiving feedback/comments from general public/stakeholders on the draft bill, 2018. The deadline for submitting the feedback was 15 January 2019, but there is no update on the date extension. The earlier deadline was 31 December 2018.

    This may result in a preference change of the consumer, thereby pushing them to unsubscribe private sports network channels. This will also give the distribution platforms an opportunity to negotiate harder with the sports broadcasters.

    A move of this nature could adversely impact the revenues of sports broadcasters, throwing the entire ecosystem into a tizzy.

    Challenges in 2019

    India’s historic win over Australia ensured that SPN kicked off 2019 to a rather glorious start. With the immensely popular Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni delivering match-winning knocks, SPN is likely to have posted big viewership numbers on its channels as well as OTT. However, the remainder of the year isn’t going to produce a lot of fireworks for the broadcaster especially when it comes to Indian cricket. Barring India’s tour to the West Indies, SPN does not have a lot to offer to Indian fans. Rival Star India, with the rights to the IPL and the World Cup, is bound to be the home of India’s cricket-crazy public in 2019.

  • 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia continues to deliver with over 117 million viewers tuning in to the greatest show on earth on Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)

    2018 FIFA World Cup Russia continues to deliver with over 117 million viewers tuning in to the greatest show on earth on Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)

    MUMBAI: The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia continues to surpass expectations for football viewership in India in its second week. The tournament that was telecast live on SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3 and SONY ESPN channels and live streamed on SonyLIV app & website, garnered over 117 million viewers across 26 matches played in the first nine days of the tournament.

    Key Viewership Highlights for the first nine days of the tournament:

    The total cumulative reach of the event on our network is 117.3 million viewers. (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches + wraparound shows + highlights + repeats + surround programming of FIFA World Cup, SPN Sports Network, SonlyLIV)
    99.3 million viewers watched the World Cup on TV and over 18 million viewers live streamed it on SonyLIV 
    Top markets in terms of reach for LIVE matches on TV
    West Bengal – 14.8 mn
    Kerala – 14.5 mn
    North East – 8.4 mn
    Maharashtra – 7.1 mn
    Female viewership has contributed to 46% of the reach of the tournament (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network)
    Local language feeds (Hindi + Malayalam + Bengali + Tamil + Telugu) have contributed to 46% of the overall viewership (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network)
    Regional commentary: 6.8 million viewers in Kerala sampling Malayalam commentary and 5.4 million viewers in West Bengal sampling Bengali commentary
    Interest runs high for the tournament in rural markets, with 41% of the total reach coming from rural India (BARC, All India, CS2+, LIVE matches, SPN Sports Network)
    The Germany vs Mexico match telecast on June 17 at 8.30 pm is the most watched match of the tournament so far with 7 million impressions (BARC, All India, CS2+, SPN Sports Network)
    Average viewership for prime-time games (8.30 pm and 9.30 pm) has been 4.8 million impressions
    TVS: Each viewer has spent an average of 145 mins on the tournament in the first nine days.

  • ESPN’s “The Last Train to Russia” to premier on SONY TEN 2 channels

    ESPN’s “The Last Train to Russia” to premier on SONY TEN 2 channels

    MUMBAI: The venue of the 2018 FIFA World Cup has a train that travels all over its territory, from St. Petersburg to Siberia. Russia can be traversed onboard the carriages of the Trans-Siberian railway, a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East, also known as the longest railway line in the world. In an unprecedented global initiative, leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, ESPN and Sony Pictures Sports Network presents The Last Train to Russia – a 12-episode series that explores the country of Russia through the eyes of ESPN international soccer reporter Martín Ainstein and his visits to the 11 World Cup host cities. The daily series will premiere on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels on June 1, 2018 at 9 P.M.

    The series captures the culture, the people, the food and the mores via Ainstein’s journey onboard the Trans-Siberian railway beginning in St. Petersburg; snaking through the country to cities as far east as Ekaterinburg; Sochi on the west; and concluding with two episodes on Moscow. 

    “The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is the most anticipated tournament in the world, and as the official broadcaster, we are committed to offering our viewers a unique experience. Our build up to the World Cup has focused on giving our viewers in depth information on the teams, past winners, and the path taken by each team to qualify for the World Cup,” said Rajesh Kaul, President, Sports & Distribution, Sony Pictures Networks India. “The Last Train to Russia is an exclusive series by ESPN that gives viewers a taste of Russia and the host cities with a sagacious narrative of the greatest show on earth.” 

    “We are excited to present The Last Train to Russia, the first in our comprehensive global news and information coverage of the World Cup in Russia,” said Jasdeep Pannu, Head of ESPN India Television Initiatives. “Russia is a country with rich culture and unique traditions. We expect that through Martin’s style of storytelling, we are able to offer a sense-of-place experience to World Cup fans in India.”

    Ainstein added: “Traveling through the largest country in the world allowed me to get to know the real Russia: a rich, diverse, and ever-changing country. On the train, you begin to understand the country’s history and the lifestyle of its people by sharing and exchanging experiences. It was a fascinating journey.”

    Ainstein’s reporting for this series lasted for six weeks as he traversed the vast country, one train station at a time. The ESPN international soccer reporter captures the traditions and historic centers of each of the 11 World cup cities in Russia, including the stadiums where the matches will be played.