Sony Pictures Networks India has renewed its rights to the Uefa Champions League and Europa League across the Indian subcontinent and is widely thought to be paying less than in the previous cycle.
Sony will hold exclusive rights to both competitions for three seasons, from 2018-19 to 2020-21. It is understood there were no other bidders for the rights, as pay-television broadcaster Star India and social platform Facebook are content with their limited football rights portfolios.
A previous bid made by Sony included rights to the Champions League only but the new deal will include extended coverage of both competitions – 138 Champions League matches per season and 205 Europa League matches per season.
Sony will also continue to hold rights to Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A from the 2018-19 season onward. It agreed a sublicensing deal with Facebook for non-exclusive rights to three LaLiga matches per match-week and acquired Serie A rights directly from the IMG agency, which holds the league’s international rights.