SPNI launches My Reasons to Watch UEFA Champions League’ campaign

Sony Pictures Sports Network along with Farhan Akhtar - UEFA’s official guest from India, kicked off a series of exciting activities leading up to the build-up of the most awaited UEFA Champions League finals. Bollywood actor, Farhan Akhtar will be heading to watch the finals of the tournament at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain on 1^st June 2019. Fans can watch the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals and the Finals live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD channels.

With just four teams left in the race to the finals, UEFA Champions League 2019, is nearing a thrilling climax and Farhan will be present at the stadium, giving a new dimension to the event for the fans in India. The actor has been an instrumental medium to bring the stories of sportsmen to the big screens with his choice of projects like ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘Toofan’ which makes him an ideal contender for an off- screen sports collaboration with the world’s biggest club football league.

Watch the campaign here: https://www.facebook.com/SPNSportsIndia/videos/1268283843321181/

As a build-up to the knockout stage of the tournament, Sony Pictures Sports Network launched the ‘My Reasons to Watch UEFA Champions League’ campaign. The campaign captures the enthusiasm and passion of various kinds of fans, ranging from fanboys to peripheral football viewers who profess their reasons for watching the most prestigious club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League.

In an endeavor to bring a larger than life experience to football enthusiasts in India, Sony Pictures Sports Network in association with PVR Cinemas, will for the first time, be screening the UEFA Champions League finals LIVE on the big screen, across five cities in India. Football fans from Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai can enjoy the clash of the titans with friends and family at PVR cinemas near them.

To further enhance the viewing experience for audiences the sports network will also feature a ‘UEFA Champions League Studio Show’ with a host of expert panelists on board, presenting in-depth pre, mid and post-match analysis.

Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “As the premier destination for football we are curating an immersive fan experience for one of the grandest sports finales of 2019. The UEFA Champions League is not just a football tournament; it is a culmination of the top European clubs vying for the coveted title. The tournament experienced a considerable jump in viewership and we have seen a 79% growth over the previous season which is a testament to its popularity. We are delighted to associate with UEFA’s official guest from India, Farhan Akhtar, whose passion for sports has inspired millions.

Sony Pictures Spots network saw a growth of viewership to 79% is overall and as per BARC data. This is on the back of the success of FIFA World Cup, it got newer audience to the sport. It also reflects the way we have marketed this event and the Champions League this year has made an extra effort to telecast at Prime time in India i.e. 10.30 P.M.

Impact of TRAI tariff regime on subscribtion revenue?

Kaul, who also looks after the distribution business of the network, feels it is too early to comment. "The broadcasters are still not getting complete visibility of what is happening on the ground. Only once we get that would we be in a position to comment. But as of now, going by the numbers we are getting, I don't see a major impact," asserts Kaul.

The reason we have different language feeds is to reach beyond the urban viewer. We want to reach to the masses, the interiors and we don’t want language to be a barrier to watch a sport. All our marquee events have been dubbed in hindi and on WWE we have it in 4 languages i.e. English/Hindi/Tamil and Telugu, but Champions League will only be in English. Presently language feeds are for reach and increase in viewership, monetisation will follow.

Our marketing initiatives for this year’s Champions League is 360 degree, also decided to go one step beyond the usual by getting Farhan Akhtar on board and tying up with PVR Cinemas to give the viewer a big screen experience and we did this for WWE last year. The response has been very good.

Farhan Akhtar, UEFA’s official guest from India, said, “I have grown up watching and playing football and I am thrilled to be UEFA’s official guest from India. The UEFA Champions League, telecast on SONY TEN 2 channels, is the most prestigious international club tournament in the world. Getting the opportunity to watch the UEFA Champions League Final match live at the stadium, surrounded by thousands of passionate fans and soaking in the electrifying atmosphere is going to be an unforgettable experience. I will be posting all about it on Twitter and Instagram so that fans can follow all the action with me.”

As the broadcaster of various major international football properties including UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Nations League, Serie A, LaLiga, FA Cup and UEFA Euro 2020, Sony Pictures Sports Network is the one-stop destination for football fans in India with over 800 live football matches. The sports network is a global multi sports arena that offers over 300 days of live cricket with rights to eight international cricket boards, (Cricket Australia, England & Wales Cricket Board, Cricket South Africa, Sri Lanka Cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket West Indies, Zimbabwe Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland) and the exclusive destination for WWE, UFC, NBA, ATP World Tour, Formula E, MotoGP, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and more.

Watch the 2^nd Leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals and the Finals live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 & SONY TEN 2 HD channels.

Experience the UEFA Champions League finals on the big screen at your nearest PVR: