MUMBAI: The sports channel from the Multi Screen Media bouquet, Sony Six, has been establishing itself as a channel in broadcasting non-cricket sports. Late last year, the channel had won the exclusive broadcasting rights to the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka cricket series.

Continuing with the trend, it has now bagged the exclusive broadcast rights for the Australian Open – the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, in India for a duration of five years. The channel will solely telecast all matches of the tournament live from 2015 till 2019. 

 On the acquisition, the newly anointed MSM CEO NP Singh said, “Over the years, the Australian Open has established itself as one of the most revered competitions in the hearts of Asian sports fans. With the strong equity that the sport enjoys, we are committed to further expand the distribution of the tournament and strengthen our position in the market”.

The Australian Open will be the channel’s first entry into broadcasting Tennis majors, having shown select ATP tournaments earlier. Apart from this, the channel exclusively broadcasts international sporting properties like Pepsi IPL, UEFA Euro 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016 and the European qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2018, NBA, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and TNA

Sony Six EVP & business head Prasana Krishnan said, “This acquisition signifies another endeavor by Sony Six into bringing diverse sports offerings for its viewers. The Australian Open is seen as the paramount opener to the Grand Slam competitions and we are proud to have this prestigious event in our bouquet of international sports content.”

Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said, “I’m delighted we are partnering with MSM in India for the Australian Open. MSM presented a compelling proposition and demonstrated a commitment to promote the event and the sport of tennis in India which continues to cement our position as the Grand Slam of the Asian-Pacific.”