Sachin Tendulkar announced as Sony Pictures Sports Network's Ambassador for Sports
Sport has a way of producing inspiring tales of success, and for any young kid, there is nothing more exciting than seeing their role models on television showcase their skills on the world stage.
With a dream to emulate their heroes and don the national colours, millions of youngsters take up sport. In the new age of technology, there has been a growing influence of visual information and digital content on consumers, and Sony Pictures Sports Network is one medium that has been pivotal to the success of sports all across the world.
The network first burst onto the scene of sports broadcasting in the year 2003 when they acquired the rights to the ICC World Cup held in South Africa. Since then, they have been one of the major broadcasters of sports events all across India and the subcontinent.
With the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Sony has been closely associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for over a decade, ensuring the carnival of cricket reaches the masses.
While the network has been around the sporting arena for a very long time, it has evolved leaps and bounds in the recent past with the success of the Indian Premier League.
The big announcement
Sportskeeda was invited to attend a historic moment in sports broadcasting. On a rainy afternoon in Mumbai, with the atmosphere electrifying and one of the best Indian cricket commentators, Harsha Bhogle hosting the event, it was nothing short of a frenzy for a room filled with a hundred passionate fans as NP Singh, the Chief Operating Officer of Sony Pictures Network, announced Sachin Tendulkar as their Ambassador for Sports.
The credo of Go-Beyond resonates with the philosophy incorporated in the company as Singh, on the eve of the launch, said, “It takes leaders to Go-Beyond at every step of the game because leaders don't just prepare for the future, they create it. The future of sports is multi-sport, and we want to engage our viewers in watching various sporting actions. Sachin echoes our sentiment and intent to grow the viewership of different sports.
With a vision to become the largest broadcaster for sports in India, they launched two new HD channels, Sony Ten 2 HD and Sony Ten 3 HD making it 11 dedicated channels for sporting action under one network.
“We are committed to providing the audience with an unparalleled sporting experience with over 11,000 hours of live content this year. Each of our 11 channels gives us an opportunity to create channel destination for the different sports. Sachin represents excellence, passion and determination and is known to push boundaries and achieve more every time, which is aligned to our networks credo, Go-Beyond,” said Rajesh Kaul, the President of Sports and Distribution.
“I enjoy this responsibility”
One of the finest players in the modern era, Tendulkar was thrilled to be the Ambassador for Sports. The Little Master said, “It is a privilege to associate with Sony Pictures Network, and the responsibility is what I thoroughly enjoy. I believe that even if one has reached the pinnacle of success, the learning never stops. Sports trains you to become a better version of yourself, and I shall always remain a student of the game because, for me, sports inspires life.
The iconic cricketer further added that it is essential to motivate youngsters to take up the sport and the legacy you leave behind is extremely important. He urged the youth of the country to go out and play because a young and unhealthy population is a recipe for disaster.
With the prestigious Under 17 FIFA World Cup set to staged in India, later this year, Sachin encouraged the people of the nation to support their team saying, “The World Cup in any format is the competition of the highest level and one of the best things for any sportsman.
“And with such an important event coming up, this is India’s greatest opportunity to show our support towards other sports,” he concluded.