GECs
Panamsat’s new service offers international content for US platforms
MUMBAI: Satellite operator Panamsat has launched Vis-a-TV in the US. This service provides an offering of international channels for US cable, DTH, IPTV and broadband platforms seeking to better serve niche audiences.
Vis-a-TV will acquire the rights to content and distribute it to MSOs, IPTV platforms and broadband Internet service providers either for linear subscription or video on demand.
Panamsat CEO Joe Wright says, “Panamsat is leveraging its relationships with its international programming customers to bring the best of the more than 400 channels currently on our satellite fleet to the US market for distribution. We will use our satellite capacity to bring our channels to the US and to deliver the content to the last-mile operators who sign with us. We will deliver the US market to our content providers for a share of the subscription revenues.”
” We have already landed a significant number of channels and are rolling out our service for subscribers first to the Internet to be followed by cable TV and IPTV platforms in the near future. We believe that the richly multicultural US market has a strong appetite for this video content. This move is consistent with Panamsat’s view of how FSS providers must evolve from bandwidth-only providers into more fully integrated service providers that are more closely tied to content and the terrestrial networks that they serve,” adds Wright.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
