Indian media conglomerate Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) has secured a three-year contract renewal with European soccer governing body UEFA for the rights to its trio of club competitions.
SPN, through its Sony Sports Network channel and SonyLIV OTT streaming service, will air UEFA’s Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League competitions through to the end of the 2026-27 season.
The conglomerate has held the rights to the UCL since the 2017-18 season and renewed the rights in the country midway through the 2021-22 season in a deal that was set to end with the 2023-24 campaign, a deal which has now been extended once more.
While not as dominant as cricket or even local sports such as kabaddi, soccer is still one of the most watched sports in India, and in 2020 SPN introduced regional language coverage for its UEFA competitions which its chief revenue officer, Rajesh Kaul, stated has driven major viewership growth.
Kaul stated: “Since 2020, UEFA Champions League viewership in India has surged by over 51%, attributed largely to 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.”
From the 2024-25 season onwards UEFA's club competitions will all operate under a new format wherein each team will play eight matches in the opening group stage, as opposed to the current six games, meaning more fixtures than ever before in the competition.
SPN will air over 1,600 matches from the trio of competitions across its stewardship of the UEFA selection of rights.
The broadcaster already holds several prominent European soccer rights in India, most notably Germany’s top-tier Bundesliga, and its DFB Pokal knockout cup competition, alongside England’s cup competitions, the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
The broadcast giant is also partnered with UEFA to showcase its men’s national team competitions in various countries including India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, through to 2028.
This includes the body’s showpiece European Championships in 2024 and 2028, friendlies scheduled between the 2022-23 to 2027-28 seasons, its UEFA Nations League international competition, and UEFA section qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.
