MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in India, announced on Friday the addition of Tamil and Telugu live feeds as a part of expanding their regional outreach of the tournament.
Earlier, it was decided that English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam will be the four languages in which the tournament would be broadcast in.
With this decision, Sony also declared that their live studio show for the tournament will be called Football Extraaa and would be telecast in English and Hindi. The show will be held at three junctures – pre, mid and post-match.
Indian football legends Sunil Chhetri and Bhaichung Bhutia, former Manchester United forward Louis Saha, ex-England goalkeeper David James, Champions League winner Luis Garcia, ex-Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood, Gurpreet Singh, Robin Singh and Novy Kapadia will be the expert analysts who will be debating on the nuances of the game for the ‘greatest show on earth’.
Besides Football Extraaa, Sony is set to come up with detailed insights for its viewers through its breakfast show, Kick-Off. The show is aimed at those football enthusiasts who may have missed out on the previous night’s action or wish to gain an in-depth analysis on that game along with a forecast for the forthcoming matches of the day.
Rajesh Kaul, president, Sports and Distribution Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said: “The telecast of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will be done in six languages. It is our endeavor to reach out to every football fan in the country as per our commitment to go beyond to serve best sporting action through our programming initiatives. We have congregated some of the best international football players with great experience to provide incisive insights to our viewers. The live studio show Football Extraaa and the breakfast show Kick-Off will enrich the die-hard football enthusiast’s viewing experience of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.”
