Sony wins Asian Games rights
- Sony Pictures Networks India secured exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the 2026 Asian Games across the Indian subcontinent. - The deal hands Sony control of both television distribution and streaming for the multisport event. - Consolidated rights will change production standards, scheduling discipline, sponsor inventory and the data available to organisers and broadcasters (sportsmintmedia.com).
Sony Pictures Networks India has locked up the Indian subcontinent rights for the 2026 Asian Games, putting the event on Sony’s TV channels and Sony LIV. (thehindubusinessline.com) The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Sony’s deal covers both broadcast and digital distribution across India and the wider subcontinent. (olympics.com) (business-standard.com) Sony will carry the Games on Sony Sports Network and stream them on Sony LIV. The Economic Times reported the India rights were acquired for about $3.5 million to $4 million. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The package matters because one company now controls the same event on linear television and streaming, instead of splitting audiences and ad sales across separate platforms. That gives Sony one schedule, one sales book and one set of viewing data for a 16-day multi-sport event. (sportsmintmedia.com) (brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com) The timing also lines up with India’s stronger medal expectations at the Asian Games. India won 107 medals at Hangzhou 2022, its best-ever Asian Games haul, and cricket is on the program again for 2026. (olympics.com) (business-standard.com) For broadcasters, the Asian Games are different from a single-sport league because dozens of events run at the same time across many venues. The official ticket site says about 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions are expected at 53 competition venues. (ag-hospitality.tickets-aichi-nagoya2026.org) That scale forces hard decisions on which sports get prime TV slots, which move to streaming, and how many language feeds and studio windows a network can afford. SportsMint reported Sony is expected to use multi-language production to widen reach in India’s fragmented sports market. (sportsmintmedia.com) Sony is not new to this event. Business Standard said Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be the fourth straight Asian Games cycle on the Sony Sports Network in India. (business-standard.com) The next test is execution in September: a packed continental event, India’s medal push, and one broadcaster handling both the television audience and the streaming surge. (olympics.com) (thehindubusinessline.com)
