Sony Sports Network acquires broadcast rights for the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2024

Sony Sports Network has acquired the media rights to live broadcast the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2024. It is set to take place in China’s Hulunbuir City from September 8 to September 17, 2024 and will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv to viewers across India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has confirmed the participation of six teams from the continent. These include Olympic bronze medallists and defending champions India along with Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, China, and Malaysia.

Fumio Ogura, president of the Asian Hockey Federation said, “We are pleased that the tournament, which showcases the finest talent in Asian hockey, will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network. This partnership reflects our dedication to bringing the sport of hockey to a broader audience and ensuring that fans can witness some of the best hockey teams and athletes in action. Working together with Sony Sports Network, we aim to elevate the profile of hockey and inspire the next generation of athletes.”

Commencing on 8 September on Sony Sports Ten 1 channels, the opening day will feature all six teams competing in a single-pool format. The tournament will feature 20 matches, culminating in the final on September 17, where the champions will be crowned.

Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer for distribution and international business and head of sports business at Sony Pictures Networks India noted that audiences will get to watch Team India, the defending champions and Olympic Bronze medal winners playing for the first time since the Olympics Games Paris 2024.

The curtain-raiser will see South Korea face Japan, followed by Malaysia face Pakistan and the day concluding with defending champions India facing the hosts China in the final fixture of the day. On 14 September, the Indian team will compete against Pakistan.

According to GroupM ESP's Sporting Nation report, at an overall level, cricket and emerging sports combined to fetch their sports celebrities an amount of INR 927 crore ($112 million) in 2023. The agency expects that the country will soon cross the INR 1000 crore milestone very soon.

Given cricket’s overt popularity in India, it continued to be the top contributing sport when it comes to media advertisements, maintaining its 94% share in the segment. Sports media spends in emerging sports stood at INR 481 crore in 2022, but dropped to INR 420 in 2023. 

To give non-cricketing sports a fillip, as viewer interest for other sporting activities gradually picks up, brands are increasingly investing in Indian hockey to help boost the sport's viewership and popularity. Despite being considered India's national sport, it has seen a decline in both audience interest and advertiser support over the years.

A 2022 Ormax Media report highlighted that hockey has only 5.8 million fans in India, significantly lower than cricket's 124.2 million, kabaddi's 28.5 million, and football's 23.4 million. According to media reports, the 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup held in India attracted 11.6 million viewers. This underscores the need for a stronger marketing push to elevate hockey's presence in the sports landscape and attract more advertising revenue.