iWorld
Pickleball gets a streaming smash as WPBL teams up with Sony Liv
MUMBAI: Pickleball is about to bounce onto a bigger screen. The World Pickleball League has announced an exclusive digital streaming partnership with Sony Liv, giving fans front-row access as the league gears up for its high-energy Season 2.
Under the deal, all 120 matches of Season 2 will stream live and on demand on Sony LIV, marking a sharp jump from the 90 matches played in the inaugural edition. The expanded season will run over 13 days and feature 56 players from 18 countries, underlining the league’s growing international ambitions.
Season 2 also raises the celebrity quotient. The seven teams are owned by high-profile names including Samantha Ruth Prabhu, filmmaker Atlee, cricketers Rishabh Pant and Sunil Gavaskar, actors Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani, along with the celebrity couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh.
The league, which is affiliated with the All India Pickleball Association, Asia Federation of Pickleball and the United World Pickleball Federation, is positioning itself firmly as a digital-first sports property aimed at young, urban audiences.
Announcing the partnership, WPBL founder and CEO Gaurav Natekar said the tie-up with Sony Liv would help the league scale faster and connect with fans across screens, as Season 2 brings more teams, more matches and a deeper talent pool.
From Sony LIV’s side, Rajesh Kaul noted that pickleball’s fast pace and celebrity involvement have already struck a chord with metro audiences, and the platform’s OTT reach will help deepen engagement through live action and behind-the-scenes content.
With a bigger calendar, a broader international mix and a high-visibility streaming partner, Season 2 of the World Pickleball League is shaping up as the sport’s biggest serve yet to India’s digital sports audience.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
