Sony Vizha to launch on 19 October with ‘Ithu Namma Vibe’ promise

CHENNAI: When it comes to Tamil entertainment, Sony Vizha is looking to add a new vibe to the mix. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is set to launch its much-awaited Tamil general entertainment channel Sony Vizha on 19 October 2026 at 8 pm, with the brand promise ‘Ithu Namma Vibe’.

The new GEC aims to celebrate Tamil Nadu not simply through its familiar cultural markers, but through the way the state is lived and experienced today. Language, traditions, aspirations, food, music, conversations and everyday celebrations will form the cultural backdrop for the channel.

The idea behind ‘Ithu Namma Vibe’ is to capture the small details that make Tamil Nadu distinctive. The brand film builds on this thought through the concept of Vizha, the Tamil word for celebration, bringing together moments and experiences that audiences can recognise from their own lives.

Sony Vizha will open its programming journey with two well-known entertainment formats adapted for Tamil audiences.

The launch line-up includes Celebrity MasterChef Tamil, featuring Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Tamil Idol, featuring A. R. Rahman.

The two shows bring global entertainment formats together with high-profile Indian talent, giving the channel an opening slate that spans food, music and celebrity-led entertainment.

The broader Sony Vizha proposition is built around original programming, reality formats, movies and global entertainment curated for Tamil audiences across generations. The channel says its focus will be on premium and differentiated entertainment that remains rooted in Tamil culture while speaking to a new generation of viewers.

Rajaraman Sundaram, chief content officer, south regional, Sony Pictures Networks India, said the channel has been created around the ambition of celebrating Tamil Nadu as it is today, combining its cultural roots with its contemporary identity.

“‘Ithu Namma Vibe’ captures the many little things that make Tamil Nadu uniquely its own, its people, its warmth, its traditions and the everyday moments that bring us together,” he said.

Sundaram added that the channel is approaching an audience with a strong affinity for entertainment and a clear understanding of what feels authentically Tamil. He said Sony Vizha hopes to build a place in viewers’ lives through stories and experiences that feel fresh, relevant and familiar.

Sony Vizha becomes the latest addition to SPNI’s television portfolio, which spans general entertainment, movies, sports, kids, factual entertainment and digital streaming.

SPNI operates 29 premium channels across standard and high-definition formats, including Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, Sony Marathi, Sony AATH, Sony MAX, Sony Sports Network, Sony YAY!, Sony PIX and Sony BBC Earth. Its portfolio also includes Sony LIV and Studio NEXT, alongside Sony KAL, its free ad-supported streaming television channel in the US and Canada.

The network says its channels reach more than 700 million viewers in India and are available in more than 150 countries. SPNI is currently in its 31st year of operations in India.

With Sony Vizha, the network is now taking that established entertainment playbook into the Tamil general entertainment space, with culture and contemporary Tamil life at the centre of its proposition.

Sony Vizha will go on air from 19 October 2026 at 8 pm, marking SPNI’s latest attempt to turn the everyday Tamil experience into a television celebration.