Sony India Inks Deal with ZEE for TEN Sports

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises is selling TEN Sports Network to Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) for $385 million.

With the deal, SPN adds to its South Asian portfolio TEN 1, TEN Golf HD and TEN Cricket, among others. The TEN sports’ rights slate includes major cricket boards, WWE, Champions League, PGA, Tour de France and more. SPN already holds the rights to a significant slate of sports, including IPL and CPL cricket, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Australian Open, UFC and NBA basketball.

“The acquisition of TEN Sports Network will strengthen SPN’s offering for viewers of cricket, football and fight sports, complementing our existing portfolio of international and domestic sporting properties,” said NP Singh, CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India. “I welcome TEN Sports to the Sony family. It also aptly demonstrates SPN’s commitment to providing a broad range of sporting entertainment to fans across India and the sub-continent.”

Andy Kaplan, president of worldwide networks at Sony Pictures Television, added, “India has been a strong driver of Sony Pictures’ growing networks business for two decades, and sports continue to play a significant role in that growth. The acquisition of TEN Sports, following the launch of SONY ESPN channels, will mean that our Indian networks would reach over 800 million viewers and broadcast many of the most popular and prestigious sporting events in the world.”

Punit Goenka, managing director of ZEE, added, “This is a landmark deal for ZEE and a step towards a strategic portfolio shuffle as we grow our general-entertainment business both in the domestic and overseas markets. While we have grown our sports business over the last ten years through acquisition of content at competitive prices, our focus now is on transforming ourselves into an all-around media and content company, comprising five verticals—viz. broadcast, digital, films, live events and international business—and we continue to move rapidly towards our set business goals. While I have always been proud of our sports business, I strongly believe that Sony will add more value to it by taking it to even greater heights. I wish them all the success.”