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Award-winning ESPN Films documentaries are set to debut in India on Sony Pictures Network’s sports channels Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. ESPN Films will air every Sunday at 12 noon beginning 27 November.
The launch of ESPN Films is part of Sony and ESPN’s joint strategy to bring high-quality sports-related storytelling and original programming to Indian viewers. Sony and ESPN have a brand and content licensing partnership for the Indian market encompassing TV and digital.
Since its launch in March 2008, ESPN Films has been an industry leader in documentary filmmaking, producing more than 100 documentaries that have showcased some of the most compelling stories in sports.
For the Indian market, Sony has shortlisted more than 50 titles that it will showcase on its sports channels and later on digital platforms. The documentaries will also be available on Sony’s OTT platform Sony Liv and ESPN.in, the joint collaboration between Sony and ESPN.
The series will debut in India with ‘The Two Escobars’. Directed by the Zimbalists, it tells the tale of two men named Escobar: Andrés, the captain and poster child of the Colombian national team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as ‘narco soccer’.
Following that, on 4 December, the series will continue with ‘The 16th Man’. Directed by Bestall, and narrated by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, it tells the emotional story of Mandela, the cornerstone moment of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and what it meant to South Africa’s post-apartheid healing process.
ESPN India head and VP South Asia Ramesh Kumar said, “Part of what has always distinguished ESPN is that we do not only cover the games; we cover the ‘game around the game’ and we do it as storytellers. We are delighted to introduce these award-winning and critically acclaimed films to fans in India on the Sony ESPN channels. These films go beyond sports and engage viewers with compelling, often unknown or previously unseen, narratives that capture the power, emotion and poignancy of sports in our lives.”
Commenting on the launch, SPNI EVP & business head, sports cluster Prasana Krishnan said, “Some of the most inspiring stories in the world have come from sports. We are showcasing a curated collection of award-winning ESPN Films documentary series for the first time in India that is sure to appeal to both die-hard sports fans as well as people that don’t know much about sports.
“The ESPN films are a differentiated offering from Sony ESPN channels that comprise legendary human-interest stories that will give our viewers an opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments in the history of sports. As a sports network, we hope that our viewers will get inspired by the strength of the human spirit that they will experience with these films and live through the magic of sports.”
Sony to take a big leap in sports programming with debut of ESPN docus in India | TelevisionPost.com
The launch of ESPN Films is part of Sony and ESPN’s joint strategy to bring high-quality sports-related storytelling and original programming to Indian viewers. Sony and ESPN have a brand and content licensing partnership for the Indian market encompassing TV and digital.
Since its launch in March 2008, ESPN Films has been an industry leader in documentary filmmaking, producing more than 100 documentaries that have showcased some of the most compelling stories in sports.
For the Indian market, Sony has shortlisted more than 50 titles that it will showcase on its sports channels and later on digital platforms. The documentaries will also be available on Sony’s OTT platform Sony Liv and ESPN.in, the joint collaboration between Sony and ESPN.
The series will debut in India with ‘The Two Escobars’. Directed by the Zimbalists, it tells the tale of two men named Escobar: Andrés, the captain and poster child of the Colombian national team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as ‘narco soccer’.
Following that, on 4 December, the series will continue with ‘The 16th Man’. Directed by Bestall, and narrated by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman, it tells the emotional story of Mandela, the cornerstone moment of the 1995 Rugby World Cup and what it meant to South Africa’s post-apartheid healing process.
ESPN India head and VP South Asia Ramesh Kumar said, “Part of what has always distinguished ESPN is that we do not only cover the games; we cover the ‘game around the game’ and we do it as storytellers. We are delighted to introduce these award-winning and critically acclaimed films to fans in India on the Sony ESPN channels. These films go beyond sports and engage viewers with compelling, often unknown or previously unseen, narratives that capture the power, emotion and poignancy of sports in our lives.”
Commenting on the launch, SPNI EVP & business head, sports cluster Prasana Krishnan said, “Some of the most inspiring stories in the world have come from sports. We are showcasing a curated collection of award-winning ESPN Films documentary series for the first time in India that is sure to appeal to both die-hard sports fans as well as people that don’t know much about sports.
“The ESPN films are a differentiated offering from Sony ESPN channels that comprise legendary human-interest stories that will give our viewers an opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments in the history of sports. As a sports network, we hope that our viewers will get inspired by the strength of the human spirit that they will experience with these films and live through the magic of sports.”
Sony to take a big leap in sports programming with debut of ESPN docus in India | TelevisionPost.com
