Sony's Multi Screen Media (MSM) is banking on a diverse schedule to attract viewers to its new sports channel after losing out in a bidding war against Star TV to show the Indian cricket team's matches for the next six years.
MSM, majority-owned by Sony Pictures, broadcasts the IPL and National Basketball Association (NBA) in India and launched a dedicated sports channel called SIX last week, hoping to tap in to interest in emerging sports as an alternative to cricket.
"We have been doing some research. We sort of see that young people in the country, both men and women, are looking for more diverse sports than they are really being able to view on other channels," MSM Chief Executive Man Jit Singh told Reuters.
"It's the MMA that we are banking on. UFC just absolutely sweeps the audience of their feet. It's real and it's much more interesting and is hugely popular elsewhere."
With the IPL, the FA Cup, the NBA and the UFC on its content list, SIX had what it took to stand out from existing sports channels, the executive added.
