iWorld
SonyLIV strengthens its live sports portfolio
KOLKATA: Mexican waves, boisterous applause and an edge of the seat adrenaline; the joy of witnessing live sports is unmatchable. This monsoon, SonyLIV augments its offerings with back to back sporting spectacles starting 8 July 2020. From international cricket to the best of football to the biggest basketball sensation and more, SonyLIV’s live sports portfolio is brimming with the best of tournaments for all sports aficionados in India.
The cricket season begins today. First up is a clash between England and West Indies, marking the return of International cricket with 3 consecutive Test series. Interim captain Ben Stokes will lead England against the visitors boasting off a bunch of power hitters captained by Jason Holder for the 33rd Time in Test Cricket. Quite interestingly, Jason Holder is also the World's no 1 Test all-rounder who will look to retain his position against Stokes who comes a close second. All three Test series will be streamed live at 3:30 PM on SonyLIV in India. This will be followed by England vs Ireland starting July 30.
Next up is the on-going battle of the heavyweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on and from 12 July in Abu Dhabi. The tournament will have a fresh set of fights with strong contenders like Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Jessica Andrade, Paige Vanzant and others locking horns in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Also going live is WWE Extreme Rules 2020, the no holds barred sporting tournament. Touted as ‘The Horror Show’, this one will witness some power packed clashes and epic rivalries on and from 20 July. All matches will be live streamed on SonyLIV.
And then there’s the biggest highlighter of the month. The 2019-20 NBA Season begins on July 30 with 22 teams participating in the big battle. While there would be no live audience, SonyLIV users in India will be able to watch all the matches on the platform. This coveted league will continue till the finale in October 2020.
But that’s not all. Bringing the best of International football to screens, The 2019/20 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals will also resume as a straight knockout tournament on and from 7 August. Round of 16 2nd Leg matches will also be held preceding the main tournament leading up to the finale on August 24. Adding to this is The FA cup semi-finals on 19 July and the on-going Serie A.
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iWorld
Spotify spotlights Premium with AI DJ and Lossless Audio push
Five week campaign highlights personalisation and high fidelity listening.
MUMBAI: Your playlist just got a promotion and it now comes with a DJ who never sleeps. Spotify is turning up the volume on its Premium proposition, rolling out a new campaign that places product features not just music centre stage.
At the heart of the push are two upgrades: AI DJ and Lossless Audio. Rather than pitching them as add-ons, Spotify positions these as the engines quietly reshaping how people listen, moving the experience from passive playback to something far more intuitive and immersive.
The campaign unfolds through two feature-led films rooted in everyday listening moments. One spot leans into AI DJ as a hyper-personalised curator, adapting in real time to mood, taste and listening patterns essentially turning algorithms into something that feels almost human. The other film zooms in on Lossless Audio, emphasising richer, high-fidelity sound that captures nuances often lost in compressed streaming.
It’s a strategic shift in storytelling. Instead of selling access to content, Spotify is selling how that content feels smarter, sharper, and more tailored to the individual listener.
The rollout is equally expansive. The five-week campaign spans digital video, connected TV, audio, out-of-home, social media and in-app integrations, ensuring visibility across both digital and physical touchpoints. The idea is clear: meet users wherever they are, and remind them that Premium is designed to follow.
There’s also a strong regional layer baked in. With integrations across Tamil and Telugu music, Spotify is leaning into India’s linguistic diversity, acknowledging that personalisation in this market is as much cultural as it is technological.
The broader play is hard to miss. In an increasingly crowded streaming landscape, differentiation is no longer just about catalogue size or pricing. It’s about experience. By foregrounding AI-led curation and high-quality audio, Spotify is betting that the next phase of competition will be won not by what users listen to, but how they listen to it.
And if this campaign is anything to go by, the platform is keen to ensure that every tap of the play button feels a little more like a performance.
