ITV

Tag: SPN

  • Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    MUMBAI: Speculations about actor – comedian Kapil Sharma joining hands with Sony Entertainment Television can finally be laid to rest. It’s official now! Sharma, who had a rather acrimonious fallout with Colors recently, is all set to join hands with Sony to launch a comedy show.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “You will see Kapil soon on Sony TV in a few months’ time.”

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the weekend show is slated to launch in May. 

    A source close to development informed that Sharma’s new show on Sony will be produced by Frames Productions and Sharma’s K9. 

    It may be recalled that before hopping on to Colors with Comedy Nights With Kapil, he was onboard one of Sony’s most popular comedy reality shows – Comedy Circus and has also been a winner of six seasons.

    That apart, in a bid to grab eyeballs, Sony Entertainment Television is also gearing up to regale its audience with the launch of two new shows namely Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and EK Duje Ke Vaste on 29 February.  

    Produced by Beyond Dreams Productions, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of a talented star cast comprising Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes in lead roles. It is a new age love story that deals with modern day intricacies of romantic relationships. The show will be aired at 9:30 pm from Monday – Friday. 

    On the other hand, Ek Duje Ke Vaste produced by Bindu Productions is a story of Shravan played by Namik Paul and Suman played by Nikita Dutta that explores the conflict between love and self-respect. It will be aired at 10 pm from Monday to Friday. 

    Sony Entertainment Television EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Ek Duje Ke Vaste are based on real life insights and their soul lies in the story and narration. While Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of outstanding writers Mitali & Raghuveer, Ek Duje Ke Vasteis is being written by Dilip Jha, who is known for the classic Bade Acche Lagte Hain. We are thrilled to associate with Yash Patnaik & Dilip Jha for these two shows respectively.”

  • Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    MUMBAI: Speculations about actor – comedian Kapil Sharma joining hands with Sony Entertainment Television can finally be laid to rest. It’s official now! Sharma, who had a rather acrimonious fallout with Colors recently, is all set to join hands with Sony to launch a comedy show.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “You will see Kapil soon on Sony TV in a few months’ time.”

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the weekend show is slated to launch in May. 

    A source close to development informed that Sharma’s new show on Sony will be produced by Frames Productions and Sharma’s K9. 

    It may be recalled that before hopping on to Colors with Comedy Nights With Kapil, he was onboard one of Sony’s most popular comedy reality shows – Comedy Circus and has also been a winner of six seasons.

    That apart, in a bid to grab eyeballs, Sony Entertainment Television is also gearing up to regale its audience with the launch of two new shows namely Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and EK Duje Ke Vaste on 29 February.  

    Produced by Beyond Dreams Productions, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of a talented star cast comprising Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes in lead roles. It is a new age love story that deals with modern day intricacies of romantic relationships. The show will be aired at 9:30 pm from Monday – Friday. 

    On the other hand, Ek Duje Ke Vaste produced by Bindu Productions is a story of Shravan played by Namik Paul and Suman played by Nikita Dutta that explores the conflict between love and self-respect. It will be aired at 10 pm from Monday to Friday. 

    Sony Entertainment Television EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Ek Duje Ke Vaste are based on real life insights and their soul lies in the story and narration. While Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of outstanding writers Mitali & Raghuveer, Ek Duje Ke Vasteis is being written by Dilip Jha, who is known for the classic Bade Acche Lagte Hain. We are thrilled to associate with Yash Patnaik & Dilip Jha for these two shows respectively.”

  • Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

    Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

    MUMBAI: The latest instalment of cricket’s flagship franchise – the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India is going all guns blazing when it comes to getting advertisers on board.

    With almost 80 per cent of the ad inventory sold, the broadcaster is eyeing revenue of Rs 1200 crore from this season of the IPL.

    An upbeat SPN India president Rohit Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com, “We have mostly sold out our entire inventory. All the big spots are locked and we are in the last stages of talks with a few advertisers. We will be in a position to announce them in a day or two.”

    E-commerce giant Amazon, which upped itself as the presenting sponsor of the tourney last year, will continue to be a presenting sponsor this year too along with telco Vodafone and a new entrant in the category Oppo.

    “We increased the number of presenting sponsors from two to three this year because of the huge demand. Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo has come on board this time as a presenting sponsor and it’s great that new associations are continuing. It shows the growing interest level in the tournament,” says Gupta.

    Other sponsors that have been roped in include Freecharge, Coca Cola, Ceat Tyres, Tata Sky, Vimal Pan Masala and Raymond Suitings. 

    “Freecharge is a new inclusion this year. We also have a few advertisers who went off for a brief period but have returned this year again, which is an encouraging sign. Coke has also come on board for the first time and hence we continue to have a cola brand associated with the tourney. We are in final stages of talks with a two wheeler and a four wheeler brand and it’s likely that they will be on board too. This will mark the presence of an automobile brand too,” reveals Gupta.

    For the uninitiated, Pepsi was the title sponsor for the IPL for xx seasons but severed its association last year and hence 2016 will be the first time that rival beverage brand Coca Cola has decided to come on board.

    When queried about the revenue that SPN India is eyeing from the IPL this year, Gupta refrained from commenting on the financials. However, a source close to the development said that the network has hiked its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent and is hopeful of raking in around Rs 1200 crore in ad revenue.

    The source says, “For a 10 second ad slot, the network is charging between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is 15 to 20 per cent more than what they were charging last year.”

    IPL will be telecast in four different language this year. Besides Hindi and English, there will be a Tamil and Telugu feed as well to cater to the southern audience. However, the network is not monetising the regional feed separately. “We don’t monetise regional feeds separately. We will go ahead the way did last year,” asserts Gupta.

    A senior sports media planning expert on condition of anonymity says, “Rs 1200 crore this year means a 20 per cent jump from what they raked in last year, which is realistic as well as encouraging for the broadcaster. IPL has two new teams this year, therefore the sport will have a fresh and unwatched element in it. I think that has worked in favor of the broadcaster. Skepticism that were developing after the ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now all dealt with. Placed right at the beginning of a financial year, IPL has established itself to be a great avenue to garner eyeballs and it manages to sustain its trends too, which is great.”

    SPN has the broadcasting rights of IPL till 2017. The network acquired the rights for 10 years for a massive $1 billion, (Rs 6600 crore). Experts predict that the new acquisition cost, when the rights come under the hammer again, will be at least double of what it fetched last time round.

     

  • Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

    Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

    MUMBAI: The latest instalment of cricket’s flagship franchise – the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India is going all guns blazing when it comes to getting advertisers on board.

    With almost 80 per cent of the ad inventory sold, the broadcaster is eyeing revenue of Rs 1200 crore from this season of the IPL.

    An upbeat SPN India president Rohit Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com, “We have mostly sold out our entire inventory. All the big spots are locked and we are in the last stages of talks with a few advertisers. We will be in a position to announce them in a day or two.”

    E-commerce giant Amazon, which upped itself as the presenting sponsor of the tourney last year, will continue to be a presenting sponsor this year too along with telco Vodafone and a new entrant in the category Oppo.

    “We increased the number of presenting sponsors from two to three this year because of the huge demand. Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo has come on board this time as a presenting sponsor and it’s great that new associations are continuing. It shows the growing interest level in the tournament,” says Gupta.

    Other sponsors that have been roped in include Freecharge, Coca Cola, Ceat Tyres, Tata Sky, Vimal Pan Masala and Raymond Suitings. 

    “Freecharge is a new inclusion this year. We also have a few advertisers who went off for a brief period but have returned this year again, which is an encouraging sign. Coke has also come on board for the first time and hence we continue to have a cola brand associated with the tourney. We are in final stages of talks with a two wheeler and a four wheeler brand and it’s likely that they will be on board too. This will mark the presence of an automobile brand too,” reveals Gupta.

    For the uninitiated, Pepsi was the title sponsor for the IPL for xx seasons but severed its association last year and hence 2016 will be the first time that rival beverage brand Coca Cola has decided to come on board.

    When queried about the revenue that SPN India is eyeing from the IPL this year, Gupta refrained from commenting on the financials. However, a source close to the development said that the network has hiked its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent and is hopeful of raking in around Rs 1200 crore in ad revenue.

    The source says, “For a 10 second ad slot, the network is charging between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is 15 to 20 per cent more than what they were charging last year.”

    IPL will be telecast in four different language this year. Besides Hindi and English, there will be a Tamil and Telugu feed as well to cater to the southern audience. However, the network is not monetising the regional feed separately. “We don’t monetise regional feeds separately. We will go ahead the way did last year,” asserts Gupta.

    A senior sports media planning expert on condition of anonymity says, “Rs 1200 crore this year means a 20 per cent jump from what they raked in last year, which is realistic as well as encouraging for the broadcaster. IPL has two new teams this year, therefore the sport will have a fresh and unwatched element in it. I think that has worked in favor of the broadcaster. Skepticism that were developing after the ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now all dealt with. Placed right at the beginning of a financial year, IPL has established itself to be a great avenue to garner eyeballs and it manages to sustain its trends too, which is great.”

    SPN has the broadcasting rights of IPL till 2017. The network acquired the rights for 10 years for a massive $1 billion, (Rs 6600 crore). Experts predict that the new acquisition cost, when the rights come under the hammer again, will be at least double of what it fetched last time round.

     

  • Sony Picture Networks India rebrands AXN

    Sony Picture Networks India rebrands AXN

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India’s english entertainment channel AXN, known for its action heavy shows, has been re-branded to give it a more edgier look.

     

    The changes include a new logo, packaging and tag line. Playing on their original palate of red, the channel urges viewers to live ‘R.E.D,’ which stands for Reality, Entertainment and Drama.

     

    The channel, which is home to some of the most iconic characters, hopes to increase its viewership with this re-branding exercise.

     

    The change will come into effect from 24 January, 2016 with the premiere of the drama series Billions, which will be aired at 11 pm every Sunday.

     

    The re-branding was undertaken by Leo Burnett India.

     

    “With the new logo, we want to cater to the young evolving mindsets. It’s time the brand goes to the next level with a more contemporary positioning and a fresh, new look, to appeal to the discerning audience segments, who seek intelligent action. More than just an adrenaline rush, they seek a mind rush while watching their favourite shows and characters. To cater to this mind-set, we have re-calibrated our positioning, brought alive through LIVE R.E.D. for the entire brand universe in a seamless manner,” says SPN India executive vice president and business head – English entertainment cluster Saurabh Yagnik.

     

    With this transformation, AXN seeks to diversify its portfolio away from its action genre by airing ‘intelligent’ action shows with more intense, smart and unexpected characters.

     

    The channel has retained its trademark representation with the colour red. He further adds, “Red because it leverages to bring alive what AXN as a brand stands for. The channel’s new look and feel showcases the content diversity of the channel, builds association with shows and characters and articulates what consumer gratification is. It is the channel, product and consumers’ truth that we have brought alive.”

     

    The new logo is accentuated by a 3-D pyramid with elements of mystery and convergence and will bring alive the channel’s diverse content offering Reality, Entertainment, Drama, and the consumer gratification of Rush, Excitement, Dream through its characters and shows.

     

    AXN’s content offering includes a mixture of reality shows like The Voice, Top Gear, Fear Factor, entertainment shows like Minute to Win, and dramatic shows like Sherlock, Hannibal, Ray Donovan, Billions, Elementary and Dexter, amongst others.

     

    As of now, the channel has no plans to change or tweak its content strategy, though it will keep bringing new American shows. The channel will continue to cater to the premium target audience in India.

     

    AXN seeks to cater to both types of consumers that exist in society: the influencer as well as the adopter. While the former includes tech-savvy people who want to watch shows with the US, the latter are not very active in the space and seek help from the influencer about which shows to watch. “The adopters are adopting and soaking into the genre. We want to bridge this gap between both the viewers’ cluster. We bring shows, which serves both of them,” asserts Yagnik.

     

    The channel claims to have a market share of 28 per cent in the entire English entertainment genre and has set a task to build shows and characters associations with the channel.

     

    AXN’s new look will roll out across the channel’s on-air and online platforms as well on various social media platforms.

     

    Speaking about the imminent competition from the American OTT platform Netflix’s entry into India, Yagnik says, “It is good to have global competition in the space. It’s a good opportunity. The fact remains that all the networks have many hours of content – local as well as international. Everything that enters the market has its own plusses and minuses when it comes to content consumption. Ultimately it’s going to benefit the consumers.”

     

    This new push towards evoking emotions as well as gaining viewers through gripping and diverse content strategy is what the edgy channel plans to do in 2016. The aim will also be to retain its position in the market by coming up with more credible and buzzy shows.

     

    “With the rise in the Hollywood shows consumption in India, AXN will continue to get up to date shows for our fresh from the US slot,” concludes Yagnik.

  • Sony Picture Networks India rebrands AXN

    Sony Picture Networks India rebrands AXN

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India’s english entertainment channel AXN, known for its action heavy shows, has been re-branded to give it a more edgier look.

     

    The changes include a new logo, packaging and tag line. Playing on their original palate of red, the channel urges viewers to live ‘R.E.D,’ which stands for Reality, Entertainment and Drama.

     

    The channel, which is home to some of the most iconic characters, hopes to increase its viewership with this re-branding exercise.

     

    The change will come into effect from 24 January, 2016 with the premiere of the drama series Billions, which will be aired at 11 pm every Sunday.

     

    The re-branding was undertaken by Leo Burnett India.

     

    “With the new logo, we want to cater to the young evolving mindsets. It’s time the brand goes to the next level with a more contemporary positioning and a fresh, new look, to appeal to the discerning audience segments, who seek intelligent action. More than just an adrenaline rush, they seek a mind rush while watching their favourite shows and characters. To cater to this mind-set, we have re-calibrated our positioning, brought alive through LIVE R.E.D. for the entire brand universe in a seamless manner,” says SPN India executive vice president and business head – English entertainment cluster Saurabh Yagnik.

     

    With this transformation, AXN seeks to diversify its portfolio away from its action genre by airing ‘intelligent’ action shows with more intense, smart and unexpected characters.

     

    The channel has retained its trademark representation with the colour red. He further adds, “Red because it leverages to bring alive what AXN as a brand stands for. The channel’s new look and feel showcases the content diversity of the channel, builds association with shows and characters and articulates what consumer gratification is. It is the channel, product and consumers’ truth that we have brought alive.”

     

    The new logo is accentuated by a 3-D pyramid with elements of mystery and convergence and will bring alive the channel’s diverse content offering Reality, Entertainment, Drama, and the consumer gratification of Rush, Excitement, Dream through its characters and shows.

     

    AXN’s content offering includes a mixture of reality shows like The Voice, Top Gear, Fear Factor, entertainment shows like Minute to Win, and dramatic shows like Sherlock, Hannibal, Ray Donovan, Billions, Elementary and Dexter, amongst others.

     

    As of now, the channel has no plans to change or tweak its content strategy, though it will keep bringing new American shows. The channel will continue to cater to the premium target audience in India.

     

    AXN seeks to cater to both types of consumers that exist in society: the influencer as well as the adopter. While the former includes tech-savvy people who want to watch shows with the US, the latter are not very active in the space and seek help from the influencer about which shows to watch. “The adopters are adopting and soaking into the genre. We want to bridge this gap between both the viewers’ cluster. We bring shows, which serves both of them,” asserts Yagnik.

     

    The channel claims to have a market share of 28 per cent in the entire English entertainment genre and has set a task to build shows and characters associations with the channel.

     

    AXN’s new look will roll out across the channel’s on-air and online platforms as well on various social media platforms.

     

    Speaking about the imminent competition from the American OTT platform Netflix’s entry into India, Yagnik says, “It is good to have global competition in the space. It’s a good opportunity. The fact remains that all the networks have many hours of content – local as well as international. Everything that enters the market has its own plusses and minuses when it comes to content consumption. Ultimately it’s going to benefit the consumers.”

     

    This new push towards evoking emotions as well as gaining viewers through gripping and diverse content strategy is what the edgy channel plans to do in 2016. The aim will also be to retain its position in the market by coming up with more credible and buzzy shows.

     

    “With the rise in the Hollywood shows consumption in India, AXN will continue to get up to date shows for our fresh from the US slot,” concludes Yagnik.

  • Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD to launch on 17 Jan; two more channels in the pipeline

    Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD to launch on 17 Jan; two more channels in the pipeline

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) is all set to launch its two sports channels namely Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD in collaboration with ESPN on 17 January. The Sony ESPN channel will replace Sony Kix and hence will be available on all the platforms that the latter was. Sony ESPN HD will launch by marking its presence on all direct to home (DTH) platforms and gradually will roll out on cable TV too.

     

    With this, SPN has extended its sports cluster to four channels namely Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Six and Sony Six HD.

     

    What’s more, Sony and ESPN will also launch more co-branded channels in the near future. “At least two more channels are there in the pipeline and if the content demands more, we might launch more. But at this stage, we have two channels launching on 17 January and two more in the near future,” reveals ESPN India and South Asia vice president and head Ramesh Kumar.

     

    The Nature of the Association

     

    ESPN had a long time association with one of Sony’s rival broadcaster Star India and the duo operated in the Indian subcontinent till they separated in 2012. The three-years non-compete ended in 2015 and ESPN’s began discussion of a second innings in India. ESPN was clear with its strategy that it wants a long term association with an existing sportscaster and that’s where Sony came in the picture. 

     

    Both Sony and ESPN refused to divulge the commercials or the nature of association between them. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, ESPN Asia Pacific vice president Michael T Morrison said, “We wanted to have a partner in India and Sony turned out to be the best for us and hence we associated with them. We were evaluating various possibilities since the last one and half years and are very happy to be with Sony.”

     

    Reiterating Morrison’s point of view, SPN India CEO NP Singh adds, “ESPN is the leader when it comes to sports broadcasting globally. They have their expertise, which will use to add value to our existing content. We would like to keep the commercials confidential, but yes what we both were looking for, was in alignment and hence we decided to get together. It took close to six months to close the deal.”

     

    Singh further asserts, “As a part of the deal, we will have 1000 hours of original content from ESPN.”

     

    While ESPN did not have an India presence on television, it continued the operation of ESPNCricinfo, which has grown by leaps and bounds in last three years. The portal has an internal team, which creates original content. However, ESPNCricinfo is not a part of the collaboration between the two entities. “The ESPNCricinfo expertise can be used if needed but it will not be a part of the collaboration. There are matrices, which we are working on and we will see how the three can complement each other,” informs Kumar.

     

    Why the Association

     

    “India is too big a sports market to not have a presence. Moreover, our motto is ‘To Serve Sports Fans Anytime Anywhere.’ We have never left India. For us, we were always there and now we feel we need to have a bigger presence and that’s why the association,” says Morrison. Recalling the sportscaster’s association with Star India, Morrison adds, “We had a wonderful time with Star where we worked together not only in India but also in the subcontinent, but now we feel we will have a better time ahead with Sony.”

     

    Sony, in the recent past has made a few big non-cricket acquisitions, but is yet to unfold special pre or post original programming. The feed of a SerieA or an El-Classico match begins with the whistle as there is no studio content available with them. “Now with ESPN coming in, we will have access to their studio shows and we will use the shows, which complement our existing portfolio. Using their expertise we will create new programming too. This Australian Open we will have access to their global studio feed, and hence analysis and opinions will be there for fans. With this association, we will be enhancing the experience,” adds SPN sports cluster EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan. 

     

    Many said that once the Indian Premier League (IPL) goes under the hammer for telecast rights renewal, the price is going to at least double to that of the previous deal. Rumours were rife that Sony and ESPN came together to jointly bid for the renewal and strengthen their possibility. Thwarting any such rumours as well as refraining to give them any credibility, Singh says, “Our association with ESPN is not to have an upper-hand in the renewal bidding procedure.” 

     

    What’s next

     

    In next few months, Sony ESPN will launch a new multi-sport mobile app. “The revenue model of the app is yet to be decided, but whatever we do, we believe in monetising it to the maximum. We will evaluate together the best possible way forward and come to a consensus on revenue model,” says Morrison.

     

    SPN already has a digital presence in Sony Liv, which live streams the network’s existing sports portfolio. So what happens to Liv when the co-branded app launches? “The content of that platform will be available in Sony Liv too. We have done well with Love Bytes and will continue our digital innovations,” informs Singh.

     

    Apart from the two additional channels in the pipeline, which will be launched in the near future, there could be many leagues coming in too. “Pro Wrestling League was an experiment that we did and now I am in a position to say that we are glad that we did it. The numbers in the Hindi Speaking Market were great and I see it growing further with time. So we are exploring and if we see an opportunity we will aggressively forge ahead with more leagues,” says Krishnan.

     

    Marketing Plan and Channel Positioning 

     

    The 360 degree launch campaign will be clubbed with the campaign of the Australian Open, which will make its debut on the new channel. “We have 17 channels of our own through which we will promote and announce the launch of the two co-branded channels. Also we will have our digital and print promotional activities. We are starting with the Australian Open and then we will then go to Euro 2016 and run campaigns around the sport,” informs Krishnan.

     

    Sony ESPN will have a global sports portfolio with football, rugby, basketball, tennis, whereas Sony Six will have the fight sports and other sports that Kix used to telecast. “We will continue to evaluate various permutations and combinations as we go forward and enhance our sports portfolio,” concludes Krishnan.

  • MSM rebrands as Sony Pictures Networks; trains eyes on GECs, sports & digital

    MSM rebrands as Sony Pictures Networks; trains eyes on GECs, sports & digital

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM), which was earlier known as Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India, has now rebranded itself as Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India as the company marks its 20th year of operations in the country.

     

    The rebranding, which also signifies a complete alignment with its parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment, comes as a shot of adrenaline as the company has now trained its eyes on three key levers namely general entertainment, sports and digital.

     

    “With a comprehensive bouquet of varied channels and aggressive growth plans, including new genres and expansion of our distribution footprint, we are equipping ourselves to serve our viewers in urban areas, in rural areas and across global geographies. Overall, our focus will remain on becoming the first choice in television & digital entertainment,” said Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh.

     

    The rebranding was announced earlier but as the company was awaiting due approvals, the network continued to operate as MSM. From today (14 December, 2015), the network will use its new identity.

     

    “After 20 years of successfully experimenting with many firsts including redefining how cinema and cricket are viewed on Indian television, Multi Screen Media has renamed itself as Sony Pictures Networks India. The new name reflects an integrated brand alignment as it allows us to leverage the strength of the Sony parentage. Naturally, we are guided by a new wave of optimism as we set forth on a journey of exploring new vistas of entertainment,” added Singh.

     

    Singh went on to say that the company will adopt a six-fold path to serve the multitude of viewers with more channels, more genres, more content, more movies, more digital and more television.

     

    “This is our six-fold path to serve the multitude of viewers whose hopes and expectations, we are aiming, to exceed. Our focus will remain on becoming the first choice in television and digital entertainment in the country,” he said.

     

    It may be recalled that earlier this year, the company also clinched a joint venture deal with sportscaster ESPN, under which Sony Kix will be rebranded as Sony ESPN. The two companies will also jointly launch other new channels as well as a co-branded localised multi-sport website and app in the coming months.

     

    Today, SPN’s bouquet includes a range of channels like Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Max, Max 2, Sab, Pix, AXN, Aath, Mix, Six and Kix as well as the digital entertainment channel Liv.

     

    “We are priming ourselves to become the first choice of entertainment in the country. So, there is a new surge wave of optimism that is guiding us. We’re now poised to leverage our experiential credibility to do more for our audiences,” Singh says.