Sports
Matix joins Mumbai City FC as associate partner
Alliance aims to boost youth fitness and India’s football ambitions
MUMBAI: In a move that blends boardroom vision with on-pitch ambition, Matix has announced an associate partnership with Mumbai City FC for the ISL 2025 to 26 season.
Promoted by Nishant Kanodia, Matix will feature as the Jersey Pendant sponsor on the club’s first team matchday kits. The brand will also enjoy a strong presence at the NMSA training facility and the Mumbai Football Arena, placing it at the heart of India’s top flight football action.
The collaboration signals a shared commitment to discipline, performance, and long-term value creation, both on and off the pitch. By aligning with one of the country’s most professional football platforms, Matix hopes to inspire young Indians to embrace sport, fitness, and teamwork as pathways to personal growth.
India’s premier football competition, the Indian Super League, operates under the governance of the All India Football Federation. Partnerships such as this play a vital role in nurturing high performance environments while expanding football’s footprint across the country.
Speaking on the partnership, Kanodia said football represents excellence and resilience, adding that supporting a professional club like Mumbai City FC reflects Matix’s belief in sport’s ability to inspire millions of young Indians to pursue healthier, more disciplined lifestyles.
Mumbai City FC CEO Kandarp Chandra, welcomed Matix to the club’s growing partner ecosystem, noting that the company’s long-term outlook aligns with the team’s ambition to consistently compete at the highest level and elevate Indian football’s global standing.
As Indian clubs continue to make their mark in continental competitions, the next step lies in nurturing homegrown talent capable of competing on the international stage. Matix believes that sustained investment in elite sporting platforms can help India strengthen its presence in global qualification pathways, from Olympic participation to future Fifa World Cup campaigns.
Beyond branding, the partnership will see Matix and Mumbai City FC engage fans through digital content, matchday activations, and initiatives designed to promote physical fitness and a responsible sporting culture.
Together, the two aim to champion a more aspirational and globally competitive football ecosystem in India, one goal at a time.
Sports
Sony Sports launches Kannada channel to expand Karnataka reach
Network sharpens regional push with new Kannada offering, stacking cricket, global sports, and the Asian Games 2026
Mumbai: Sony Sports Network has stepped harder on the regional accelerator, launching Sony Sports Ten 4 Kannada as it targets Karnataka’s sizeable and sports-hungry audience.
The move marks a deeper foray into language-led broadcasting, with the network betting that fans increasingly want sport in their own tongue—not merely subtitled, but culturally tuned. The Kannada channel follows closely on the heels of its Tamil and Telugu launches in 2025, signalling a clear strategy: go local, scale fast.
With this addition, Sony Sports Network’s portfolio swells to 11 sports channels spanning five languages—English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada—cementing its pitch as one of India’s most expansive multi-language sports broadcasters.
The new channel arrives armed with a dense calendar. India’s bilateral tours of England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand headline the cricket slate, alongside the Women’s Asia Cup T20. Further out, the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026—featuring 41 disciplines including cricket, hockey and kabaddi—adds heft to the line-up.
Beyond the pitch, the offering stretches across global and domestic properties: UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Indian Super League and UFC, all packaged with Kannada commentary and presentation.
“The South market is one of the most significant, accounting for about a third of the overall television viewership, and Karnataka is among one of the most dynamic and high-potential sports markets in the country,” said Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer and business head, sports and international, Sony Pictures Networks India. “As consumption increasingly shifts towards language-first experiences, regionalisation is no longer an option but a strategic imperative. With Sony Sports Ten 4 Kannada, we are deepening our commitment to this market, bringing fans closer to the action through a more immersive, culturally relevant viewing experience. This launch not only expands our regional footprint but also strengthens our ability to unlock new audiences and deliver greater value to our partners across an action-packed sporting calendar.”
Available across major distribution platforms, the channel aims to reach viewers across urban and rural Karnataka alike.
The message is unmistakable: in India’s fragmented media market, language is leverage—and Sony Sports intends to use it.
