Sony Sports Network's extensive broadcast plans for Birmingham CWG'22

Sony Sports Network gears up to Live broadcast the XXII Commonwealth Games starting from 28th July 2022 at 11:00 pm IST. The marquee event will mark the return of Sony Sports Network's Live wraparound studio show SPORTS EXTRAAA featuring eminent panelists and guests. The global event which will see participation from over 200 Indian athletes, will be telecast LIVE across SONY SIX, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3 & SONY TEN 4 channels, as well as live streamed on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV. 

Anticipating the enthusiasm of the nation around the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and to reiterate the success of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Sony Sports Network has launched it’s ‘Birmingham mein Jitega! Hindustan Hamara' campaign to rally support for the Indian contingent. The film features the Honourable Prime Minister of the country Shri Narendra Modi and Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Honourable Union Minister of Youth Affair and Sports, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting along with several Indian athletes with a rallying call to win medals at the games and celebrate our 75th Year of Independence in England. 

Sony Sports Network will live telecast the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with two language feeds across its channels. In addition to this, they will also have their Live studio show, SPORTS EXTRAAA, return for the games. Legendary Indian athletes like Viren Rasquinha, Somdev Devvarman, Trupti Murgunde, and Veda Krishnamurthy along with sports journalists Ayaz Memon and Siddharth Pandey will be part of the star-studded panel for the show and will be seen sharing their insights around the happenings throughout the games. SPORTS EXTRAAA will also host eminent guests from the sports fraternity like Vijender Singh, Anju Bobby George, Satish Shivalingam, Kripashankar Bishnoi and more who will weigh in and analyse the performances of athletes from across the participating Commonwealth nations. SPORTS EXTRAAA will be hosted by Sony Sports Network’s multi-sport specialists Arpit Sharma and Sagarika Chhetri. 

As part of the build-up, Sony Sports Network also launched an eight-episode show titled ‘The Torchbearers'. The first episode of the show featured the Honourable Union Minister of Youth Affair and Sports, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur along with Olympians Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen, Hima Das, Lakshya Sen, Dutee Chand, Noah Nirmal Tom, Srabani Nanda, and Lakshya Sen, among others. And three episodes of the show will be telecast again on 28th July leading up to the Opening Ceremony which will witness the 

proud Indian contingent of over 200 athletes. The grand ceremony will have a live audience of more than 30,000 at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. 

The quadrennial event will mark the debut of the Indian Women’s cricket team led by Harmanpreet Kaur for the Women’s Cricket T20 event. Banking on the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues, team India will play against Pakistan, Australia, and Barbados to qualify for the play-offs. While Indian women cricketers will look to exert their dominance in Birmingham, the heroes of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Lovlina Borgohain, PV Sindhu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Bajrang Punia, Mirabai Chanu, and the Indian hockey team will enter the marquee event with high expectations from the nation. After impressing viewers with their brilliant performances across various events, new athletes like DP Manu, Annu Rani, and Manpreet Kaur, among others will also look to increase the medal count of India. 

Comments: 

Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India: 

“After the huge success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, it gives us immense pleasure to broadcast the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The broadcast rights for the Birmingham 2022 positions Sony Sports Network as the home for international multi-sporting events in India. Armed with a single goal to put our country on the global sporting map, our athletes have been training incessantly and it is our endeavor to showcase the stories of these national heroes. Keeping this goal in mind and to rally our support for the Indian contingent, we have also launched the ‘BIRMINGHAM MEIN JEETEGA HINDUSTAN HAMARA’ campaign. In addition to this, to provide a holistic viewing experience, our studio show, SPORTS EXTRAAA will feature stellar panelists who will provide real-time insights into various games.” 

Viren Rasquinha, Former India Hockey Captain & CEO, Olympic Gold Quest: 

“The 2020 Summer Games was a turning point for Indian sports as our contingent was able to move the needle and get our best medal haul ever. While all the seven medals are precious to us, but the bronze medal won by the Indian Men’s Hockey team is closest to my heart. Having been an integral part of the sport, it has always been my dream to win as many medals as possible for the country. And that has been the aim of every athlete who represents their nation on a global platform. I will be rooting from the Sony Sports Network studio for the Indian contingent at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and I am hoping we will our athletes winning many medals for the country.” 

Somdev Devvarman, Olympian & Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist, Former No 1 India Tennis Player: 

“India has shown consistent performance in racquet sports over the years, and we hope to see this momentum grow. The recent achievements of PV Sindhu and Manika Batra are the perfect example of this. With a strong Indian contingent taking charge and representing the nation across all disciplines at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, I am hopeful that India will surpass the 66-medal tally registered during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. I am also excited to join my fellow 

experts at Sony Sports Network’s SPORTS EXTRAAA show to closely analyze the performances throughout the event.” 

Watch the LIVE coverage of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games starting from 28th July 2022 at 11:00 PM IST followed by the Opening Ceremony on 29th July at 12:30 AM IST across SONY SIX, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 4 (English) & SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) channels.

SPORTS EXTRAAA Panelists & Guests on Sony Sports Channels 

Somdev Devvarman is a former professional Indian tennis player and represented India at the 2012 Olympics Games. In 2010, Somdev won the gold medal in the men's singles event of XIXth Commonwealth Games at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi, and he followed it up with both men's singles and doubles gold in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. In 2011, Devvarman received the Arjuna Award from the Indian government for his tennis successes. In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed him as the national observer for tennis. In 2018, he was awarded with the civilian award Padma Shri. 

Viren Rasquinha a former Indian field hockey player. He is the former captain of the country's national team and was a member of the Indian team that finished seventh at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. In 2005 he won Arjuna Award for Best Sportsman of the Year in Hockey. Trupti Murgunde is a former Indian Badminton star who played both singles & doubles. She is a Dhyan Chand Awardee. Trupti is also a five times South Asian Games gold medallist, including twice in singles in 2004 and 2006. She is also a Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist in the Team Event at Melbourne in 2006. 

Veda Krishnamurthy is an Indian cricketer and one of the panelist for Sony Sports Network for the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She made her debut in 

international cricket at the age of 18 in 2011. Since her debut, she has played 124 international matches for Indian Cricket team and has scored over 1700 runs so far. She regularly plays domestic cricket for her state team Karnataka Women.