MUMBAI: To make even better one of the biggest international football tournaments in the world – the UEFA Euro 2016 -- SPN’s sports cluster is all set to make it truly the biggest experience for the country!
With Football Extraa, SPN brings to its viewers some of the iconic football names on a single platform with England and Liverpool football legend Robbie Fowler; Ex-Portugal and Barcelona player Deco; and India’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri.
Sony Pictures Network CEO NP Singh said, “We started investing heavily in acquiring football rights about five years ago and it was only in 2012 we eventually launched our first sports channel, but our investments started before that when we acquired for UEFA Euro rights, FIFA 14, FIFA 18 and we are in the middle of Euro 2016. Copa America, African Cup of Nations, AFC, The interest in football is growing very fast, youth is following football more than us when we were young. We are very excited that FIFA U-17, will be in India and for the first time India will participate.”
‘Football Extraaa’ is a live wraparound show which features an in-depth analysis of different aspects of the matches that promises to enhance the viewing experience for the Euro 2016. The tournament coverage that started on 10 June 2016 is telecast live and exclusive on Sony Six and Sony ESPN channels as well as SonyLIV.com at prime time slots of 5.30 pm, 8.30 pm and 11.30 pm.
Featuring insights from some of the best known players in club and country football, Joe Morrison mediates discussions with expert panellists about the tournament. With technical aspects of the game and interesting trivia on the tournament, ‘Football Extraaa’ not only caters to hard-core football fans, but also garners the interest of football novices. Interviews with football players, features, fan interactions, and Live social media activities, take the interest level of this show several notches higher.
SPN Sports Cluster EVP business head Prasana Krishnan, “The UEFA EURO 2016 is one of the biggest and most watched international football properties with a global fan following. The extended offering of ‘Football Extraaa’, helmed by some of the most influential names in football, has an engaging format that delivers an unparalleled viewing experience to football fans. The in-depth analyses of the panellists appeals to a broader set of viewers that includes both fans and novices. It’s been a week since Euro 2016 began and the response for both the tournament and the show has been overwhelmingly positive on our platforms.”
Sony Six telecasts the English language feed for the tournament while Sony ESPN gives viewers the option of watching these matches in Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu language feeds. On the digital front, Sony LIV streams the tournament coverage live.
With the recent acquisition of marquee football properties, like LaLiga, Serie A, UEFA Euro 2016, Copa America Centenario, 2018 FIFA World Cup and the exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the inaugural season of Premier Futsal, the Sports Cluster of SPN continues to reinforce its position as the ‘Home of Football.’
Adding to all the action and excitement, SPN will be the host broadcaster for FIFA U-17 World Cup which is being hosted by India for the first time. As a destination for the best sporting content from around the world, the Sports Cluster of SPN has grown into one of India’s fastest growing sports network, with marquee properties like Australian Open and The Rugby World Cup amongst others.
