New Delhi: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has signed an exclusive multi-year TV & Digital broadcast deal with India’s first professional KhoKho league -Ultimate KhoKho and strengthened their commitment towards bringing a fast-paced “edge of the seat action” to their audience in the Indian subcontinent.
Scheduled to kick-start in 2021 with a goal to captivate audiences and sports enthusiasts, Sony Pictures Networks India and Ultimate KhoKho will bring forth this home-grown sport in its new avatar under the lenses of sports technology and innovations, that will guarantee high-octane games exclusively across SPNI’s network sports channels and their dedicated OTT platform SonyLIV which will allow viewers to watch the Ultimate KhoKho ‘on the go’.
“Ultimate KhoKho will bring back the oldest sport packaged in a modern avatar coupled with a new format and a dazzling television product that has the potential to not only revolutionize the sport but also create a unique experience for the audience—something that no one has ever witnessed before,” Amit Burman, Dabur Group Chairman and Promoter of the Ultimate KhoKho said.
The traditional Indian sport of KhoKho enjoys massive popularity across India owing to its easy-to-play rule and high-speed format. Burman who has acquired long-term commercial rights from the KhoKho Federation of India (KKFI) are engaged to work together to develop excellence and shape the future of competitive KhoKho to make the sport bigger and better.
Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, in a statement, said: “At Sony Pictures Networks, our focus has always been to promote a multi-sport culture in India and Ultimate KhoKhois a great addition to our sports portfolio. KhoKho is an extremely popular traditional Indian sport popular across India and we are happy to be on-board and showcase Ultimate KhoKho to our viewers.”
The teams will consist of men and under-18 from all states across India registered under KhoKho Federation of India. Player drafts are scheduled for mid-year this year and franchise-owners will be offered a bank of over 150 Indian players based on their performance and score in the National and recently concluded high-performance training camp in February 2021.
Tenzing Niyogi, Chief Executive Officer – Ultimate KhoKho also stated: “For a sport to be packaged as a brand, it needs to have ‘an edge of the seat’ format, where every minute is a spectacle. Ultimate KhoKho has been envisioned as an intersection where the passion for a popular homegrown sport meets new-age technologies & state of the art formats. We aim to create new champions, celebrate the pride for the sport, and take KhoKho to newer commercial heights.
With Sony Pictures Networks India as our partner, our endeavor is to deliver a compelling product that will attract not only the fancy of the viewers but become a platform for the brands to connect with consumers.”
Ultimate KhoKho will be telecast in English as well as Hindi with regional language commentary on the cards. With four dedicated sports channels, SPNI has been catering to varied sports as they hold the broadcast rights for the premium sports properties like Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe & Ireland cricket boards, WWE, UFC, Impact Wrestling, the Australian Open, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Nations League & Euro 2020, Serie A, FA Cup, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 among others.
