Prime Video has added Sony LIV as an add-on subscription in India, the company announced on October 21. The Sony LIV Prime Video tie-up lets customers watch Sony LIV's movies, shows and live sports inside the Prime Video app, without switching between apps. The deal was first reported by Deadline and covered widely in the Indian trade press.
The Sony LIV Prime Video add-on is priced at Rs 399 a month or Rs 1,499 a year. It is available across mobile, web, Fire TV, smart TVs and other supported living room devices. Customers can access the service through mobile devices, the web, Fire TV, smart TVs and other supported living room devices, the company said in a press release.
What the Sony LIV Prime Video add-on includes
The Sony LIV Prime Video line-up includes originals such as the Scam franchise and Gullak, alongside films such as Sitaare Zameen Par. Television programming from Sony SET and Sony SAB includes Kaun Banega Crorepati, Indian Idol, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Pushpa Impossible. New episodes of Sony LIV shows will be available daily, alongside KBC Season 18, Family Full House With Rohit Sharma and Indian Idol Season 17.
In all, the Sony LIV Prime Video offering spans more than 450 films, 300 shows, live sports and on-demand content across eight languages: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Gujarati. Prime Video said the eight-language spread deepens the multilingual choice on the service.
Sports is a large part of the Sony LIV Prime Video pitch. The add-on carries live coverage of bilateral India cricket, the UEFA Champions League, the French Open, the Commonwealth Games and UFC. Subscribers can also watch India's tour of New Zealand, featuring Tests, ODIs and T20Is, beginning October 22.
Sony LIV Prime Video pricing and devices
Customers can choose between the monthly and annual plans, bought and managed inside Prime Video. The service works on mobile apps, browsers, Fire TV sticks, smart TVs and other living-room devices, so existing Prime Video customers do not need a separate Sony LIV app.
For Prime Video, the Sony LIV Prime Video deal extends its add-on subscription catalogue in India, giving subscribers the daily viewing cadence of television and a near-continuous calendar of live sports on one service.
The announcement came on October 21, a day before India's tour of New Zealand begins, giving the add-on an immediate live-sports draw for new subscribers. Prime Video said the service will be available to customers across mobile, web and living-room devices from launch.
What the two companies said
Gaurav Bhasin, head of AVOD Business and Marketplace at Prime Video India, said: "Our ambition has always been to make Prime Video the ultimate entertainment destination for our customers. With Sony LIV now available as an add-on subscription, we take a significant step forward in that journey."
Bhasin added that customers now get "the daily viewing cadence of television and a near-continuous calendar of live sports: from bilateral India cricket to the UEFA Champions League, all on one service." He said the partnership strengthens Prime Video's multilingual offering for viewers across India.
Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer and business head for sports and international at Sony Pictures Networks India, said: "At Sony LIV, we're always looking for new ways to make our content available to audiences wherever they choose to watch it. Our partnership with Prime Video is an important step in expanding that reach in India."
Kaul said the partnership gives viewers another convenient way to discover and access Sony LIV's content. For Sony, the Sony LIV Prime Video partnership is a distribution play: Kaul pointed to the Tamil launch of Sony VIZHA and a new season of Kon Honaar Crorepati in Marathi as part of the service's upcoming slate, alongside live sports and originals. "Through this association, we look forward to taking the breadth of Sony LIV's entertainment and sports offering to more viewers across India and the world," he added.
For viewers, the practical effect of the Sony LIV Prime Video add-on is one bill and one app for both libraries, timed to the start of India's New Zealand tour on October 22.