Sony looks to launch sports channel

Even as the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) draws to a close, Hindi general entertainment channel Sony is looking to launch a sports channel. After acquiring Channel 8, a regional Bengali movie channel, the broadcaster is also keen to acquire regional players on the lines of Star and Zee. In an exclusive tete-a-tete with TOI, chief operating officer of Multi Screen Media (formerly known as Sony Entertainment Television) N P Singh said: "From a strategic perspective, it makes business sense to launch a sports channel. There is enough cricket to justify a separate sports channel. We are looking at a sports channel of our own and have taken an organic approach."

Sony has significant sports properties at the moment, such as the IPL rights, the New Zealand cricket series and the Football Association Challenge Cup. Singh added the broadcaster was serious about getting a pure-play sports channel in its bouquet, though it already has Set Max, which is a mix of movies and cricket. "We are evaluating the final contours at this stage, though it entails the acquisition of further sporting rights. Available business properties regarding tennis, football and golf could be added to the kitty by the year-end," Singh said. In a bid to compete with Star India and Zee Entertainment which have a host of regional channels under their wing, Sony is also eyeing the regional market. "It is a very big network. The regional market is coming into its own, especially in the South, which is a developed market," Singh said.

While Zee has a host of regional channels under its Alpha brand, Star has Ananda (Bengali), Vijaya (South) and Pravaha (Marathi). Asked to comment about some investors wanting out, the COO said: "MSM investors are still keen on the channel." Investors in MSM include Atlas Equifin and Grandway Global Holdings, who hold around 31.67% stake, Shemaroo Entertainment's Raman Maroo, World Media Group director Sudesh Iyer, MobiApps Holdings' Jayesh Paresh and actor Jackie Shroff. Acquisition of sporting properties is big business. Following the decision to host IPL 2 in South Africa this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) signed a new deal with Multi Screen Media (MSM) and World Sports Group for Rs 8,200 crore. Sony retained IPL 2 for nine years, at a higher price. The first season of IPL had been secured for a little over $1billion.

Sony bid $50 million and secured the telecast rights for the New Zealand cricket for Set India, for four years. When Max was launched as a cricket and movies channel in 1999, it had the Sharjah rights as its key cricketing property. Pix, the movie channel from MSM, bagged the rights to telecast UK's popular football tournament, the Football Association Challenge Cup, known as the FA Cup. The knockout cup competition in English football also entailed that Pix would have the rights to air a series of England International matches in which the national team would attempt to qualify for World Cup 2010 and European Cup 2012. For now, to ensure sticky eyeballs post IPL 2, Sony is set to unwrap a fresh programming lineup from May 25, with new shows and the swash-buckling Salman Khan in his second avtaar on '10 ka dum.'

A Times Of India News