Sunil Chhetri, Luis Garcia, Louis Saha, Bhaichung Bhutia lead the Star-Studded Panel for Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Sony Pictures Networks continues to strengthen its regional presence with six language feeds for the tournament
Press Release Hyderabad, June 11, 2018
With 4 days to go to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), increased their regional outreach with the addition of Telugu live language feed. This will be in addition to the already announced English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam live feeds. This will be the first time that the FIFA World Cup will be telecast in multiple languages in India.
Football ratings have been on the rise in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, with substantial number of viewers who are interested in the sport. 49 million viewers in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana have watched football in the past one year and the World Cup promises to see an increase in this number.
Additionally, SPN announced a star-studded panel for Football Extraaa, the pre, mid & post- match live studio show that will be telecast in English and Hindi. Indian Football superstar Sunil Chhetri, who just completed 100 matches for the national team, will be part of both the English and Hindi panels. He will be joined by another footballing great from India, Bhaichung Bhutia. Champions League winner, Luis Garcia, ex-Manchester United forward, Louis Saha and former England goalkeeper, David James will also feature in the show. Apart from these names Ashley Westwood, Gurpreet Singh, Robin Singh and Novy Kapadia will come together and debate the nuances of the game to give fans in-depth analysis on the ‘greatest show on earth’.
In addition to Football Extraaa, SPN will also showcase detailed insights for its viewers with a morning dose of football through its breakfast show Kick-Off. The show will satiate the hunger of football enthusiasts with in-depth analyses on the previous night’s game along with forecast for the forthcoming matches of the day.
The 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup will see 32 nations go head to head across 11 cities in Russia.The Sports cluster of SPN launched the #MeriDoosriCountry campaign in the build up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. The campaign showcases the passion of fans for this marquee event which received an overwhelming response. The #MeriDoosriCountry campaign film has been inspired by countless Indian fans who exhibit their undying passion by adopting their favourite football team once every four years during the World Cup.
Comments:
Mr. Prasana Krishnan, Head of Sports Content, Sony Pictures Networks India
“The telecast of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will be done in six languages. It is our endeavor to reach out to every football fan in the country as per our commitment to go beyond to serve best sporting action through our programming initiatives. We have congregated some of the best international football players with great experience to provide incisive insights to our viewers. The live studio show Football Extraaa and the breakfast show Kick-Off will enrich the die-hard football enthusiast’s viewing experience of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.”
Watch Russia vs Saudi Arabia, Live and Exclusive on June 14, 2018 at 8.30 pm in English on SONY TEN 2, in Hindi on SONY TEN 3 and in Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu on SONY ESPN.
About Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.
SPN comprises 31 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET and SET HD), one of India's leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India's premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, another Hindi movie channel showcasing great India Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA channel for Hindi movies; SAB and SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from SPN’s content library; PIX and PIX HD, the English movie channels; LePlex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN and AXN HD, the action and adventure-oriented English entertainment channels; Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, Sony AATH, the Bangla entertainment channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; Sports Network comprising 11 sports entertainment channels – SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY ESPN, SONY ESPN HD, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN GOLF HD; SonyLIV - the digital entertainment VOD platform, SPN Productions, the networks’ film production arm and Sony Pictures Networks Distribution Pvt Ltd. (SPND) that distributes the networks television channels across different genres and languages through multiple content delivery platforms. SPN reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries.
The network is recognized as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry. SPN is a recipient of several awards, including the ‘Aon Best Employers India’ Award in the 2017 edition in recognition of SPN’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices, consistently ranking amongst India’s Top 10 Companies with Best Health & Wellness Practices by SHRM & CGP Partners, listed by Working Mother & AVTAR as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India in 2017 and adjudged one of India’s Great Mid-Size Workplaces for its distribution business by the Great Place To Work® Institute in the 2017 edition.
Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited is in its 23rd year of operations in India. Its subsidiaries include Sony Pictures Networks Distribution India Private Limited, MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited, MSM Discovery Private Limited, Taj Television (India) Private Limited, Aqua Holding Investments [Pvt.] Ltd., and Bangla Entertainment Private Limited.
Media Contacts:
Kaumudi Naithani, PR Manager, SPSN | [email protected] +9198339 31953