Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), has extended its collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), with a renewal of exclusive broadcast and digital rights for showcasing the European club football leagues that includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Youth League.
The renewal is valid from the 2024/ 2025 season till the end of the 2026-2027 season. As part of the three-season renewal, the broadcaster will have access to showcase over 1600 football matches across its channels over three seasons.
Sony Sports Network will continue to telecast select UEFA Champions League matches in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and the contribution of regional language coverage to the viewership of the league’s knockout matches has gone up in recent years. Over the last three years, the incremental reach contributed by the regional coverage has increased from 25 percent in the 2020/21 season to 38 percent in the last season (2022/23).
Audiences in India will get a chance to watch teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and more along with players like Kylian Mbappe, Mo Salah, Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski amongst others.
These UEFA tournaments will be available exclusively on both linear television on Sony Sports Network as well as live-streamed on their on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV in the Indian subcontinent.
The UEFA Champions League will also be following a new format and competition system from 2024/25. From this season, four additional clubs will participate in the UEFA Champions League in a new league phase giving four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. 36 clubs will participate in this single league format in which all 36 competing clubs are ranked together. In addition to this, UEFA’s premier club competitions will no longer have a break in January.
Sony Sports Network has been the home to UEFA Champions League since 2017. In addition to this, Sony Sports Network continues to be the official broadcaster for the UEFA EURO 2024, Bundesliga, Emirates FA Cup, Roshn Saudi Pro League and more.
Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer – distribution and international business and head – sports business, Sony Pictures Networks India, said, “Since 2020, UEFA Champions League viewership in India has surged by over 51 percent, attributed largely through the introduction of regional language commentary. With the forthcoming transition to a new format, featuring over 125 additional matches and up to 38 early kickoff matches per season tailored for Indian audiences, we are confident that this growth will gain momentum further.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA marketing director UEFA, said, “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Sony Sports Network. Sony Sports Network coverage of UEFA properties in India has led to the growth of its following and viewership in India. Fans in the region will be offered extensive and excellent coverage of UEFA’s Football portfolio which includes the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, with the broadcast on Sony Sports Network and their digital platform Sony LIV.”
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