Mumbai: Sony MAX, India’s leading premium Hindi movie channel from Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) celebrates 20 years of its glorious broadcasting journey in India this October. Having pioneered the trend to showcase the best of Indian Cinema, Sony MAX over the years has continued to grow from screening some of the best sporting and entertainment properties and iconic movies that have touched a million hearts. Since its inception in 1999, Sony MAX has been enthralling movie lovers that has seen the channel emerge as the undisputed leader for more than 150 weeks now.
Sony MAX’s 20-year anniversary campaign celebrated 20 glorious years of entertaining movie lovers in India highlighting its brand essence ‘Deewana Bana De’. The campaign – Yeh Hai Desh Ki Deewangi celebrated the spirit of millions of cinema fans whose passion and enthusiasm for movies make them special and larger than life. It aired at 20:20 hours on 20 July 2019 and became an instant hit amongst cinema enthusiasts across the country seeing a phenomenal response across popular social media platforms.
For two decades’ innovation has been at the core of Sony MAX’s undisputed leadership. Apart from bringing popular and beloved Bollywood titles, Sony MAX has been a pioneer in bringing South dubbed Indian cult films to our homes including the uber-successful Bahubali series, blockbuster movies of the year – KGF, Kanchana 3, Yevadu and many more. Understanding the needs of a rapidly evolving audience and the environment Sony MAX also launched ‘Filmykaant’ – which is credited as television world’s first-ever artificial intelligence (AI) Chat Bot in India to create meaningful conversations with the audience by embracing new technologies. Fans simply had to log on to the Sony MAX Facebook messenger and chat with Filmykaant, to find answers to trivia from the world of Hindi Cinema.
Sony MAX is also credited with pioneering surround-sound content to engage viewers in the form of Extraaa Shots which showcased little-known anecdotes about popular films and well-loved movie stars with behind the scenes content. The channel also reimagined entertainment with short-format segments and shows such as Bittu Bak Bak and MAX Fully Deewaney. Taking this creative thought forward Sony MAX also introduced innovations such as comedy fillers with memorable characters such as Producer Champaklal and Dr Pran Lele to give audiences enough reason to have a hearty laugh in between super-hit movies.
Along with being the go-to place for cinema, Sony MAX also earned its stripes by showcasing the biggest sporting events India has ever seen including the ICC Cricket World Cups and 10 seasons of the cricketing phenomenon that changed India’s sporting landscape forever – Indian Premier League. Sony MAX transformed the way sporting content was consumed with various innovations including the memorable and popular, Extraaa Innings T20, which made the league much more than a cricketing tournament, turning it into a passion and obsession amongst cricket fans as well as those who didn’t watch cricket!
Neeraj Vyas, Business Head, Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX Movie Cluster, “We are extremely proud today as Sony MAX completes 20 glorious years on Indian television. The television industry, the viewership patterns as well as the audience has changed drastically in the past 20 years. But Sony MAX has thrived and retained its crown despite this changing landscape. We have consistently added value to the lives of our viewers by providing them the best of film entertainment and carefully curated content. From iconic films to the latest hits, Sony MAX offers a wide bouquet of content suited for every member of the family.”
Vaishali Sharma, Head – Marketing & Communication, Sony SAB, PAL and Sony MAX Movie Cluster, “The campaign ‘Ye Hai Desh Ki Deewangi’ that we had launched earlier this year captures every Bollywood cinephiles’ emotion wholesomely and celebrates our glorious 2 decades. We are extremely grateful that cinema has been the language of the masses and we are here to deliver the same. This celebration is not only for Sony MAX but also for movie enthusiasts everywhere and we will continue to grow the fandom by giving everyone a bite of Indian cinema’s best work. ”
