GECs
Tender deadlines for slate of sports properties coming up
MUMBAI: It’s a week of hectic activity ahead for sports broadcasters, with the deadlines for submission of tenders for a number of big and not so big properties coming up over the next few days.
The big daddy of them all of course is the ICC’s cricket rights, for which the present deadline for bids submission is 10 November.
Also up for bidding are the tenders for English Premiere League football (7 November deadline) and the rights to Bangladesh cricket (8 November).
As far as the Big One is concerned, up for grabs are the audio-visual rights for 18 ICC tournaments starting from the second half of 2007 till the World Cup in 2015.
The current agreement with Global Cricket Corporation (a News Corp subsidiary), which began in 2000, ends in March/April 2007 with the World Cup in the West Indies. GCC, which won the global rights with a $ 550 million bid, had sold the satellite rights for the Indian subcontinent territory to Sony Entertainment Television India for $ 208 million.
Market speculation on how high the bidding will go this time round range from at least a billion dollars to even as high as $ 2 billion.
While Sony is the “incumbent broadcaster” for ICC cricket, it is ESPN Star Sports which currently holds the rights to both Bangladesh cricket as well as EPL.
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.
