Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive television and digital rights for Copa America 2021 in the Indian sub-continent till December 31, 2021.
The broadcast territories will include India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament will be aired in India LIVE on SPN’s sports channels and live streamed on SonyLIV, SPN’s OTT streaming platform, from June 14, 2021 to July 11, 2021.
This is the first time since 1983 that Copa America will be held in two nations, Argentina and Colombia. The competition will have 10 teams participating with two groups of five teams each. The first group consisting of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, and Bolivia will play their matches in Argentina while the second group comprising of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, will play their share of matches in Colombia.
The first match of Copa America 2021 will be played between 14-time champions Argentina against Chile on June 14 at Buenos Aires.
The Copa America is the oldest football competition of national teams in the world. This will be the 47th edition of this prestigious competition organized by South America’s football ruling body CONMEBOL.
The Copa America 2021 will likely feature world-class footballers like Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Dani Alves, Gabriel Jesus, James Rodriguez, Roberto Firmino, Pablo Dybala, Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez among others.
With the club football season reaching its climax, fans across India can now prepare to support their Doosri Country as the football calendar of SPN has now become a whole lot bigger with two international tournaments, UEFA EURO 2020 and Copa America 2021 made accessible to viewers across India.
SPN’s expansive football portfolio now includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA EURO 2020, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, FIFA European qualifiers, Serie A and Copa America 2021.
Commenting on it, Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited said: “Sony Pictures Sports Network is focused on securing the best football tournaments and leagues from across the world and Copa America is another prestigious tournament we have added to our expansive football portfolio. With this acquisition, we will be presenting our viewers the best of international football from Europe to South America through the months of June and July.”
“From Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé in the UEFA UERO 2020 to Lionel Messi and Neymar in the Copa America 2021, our football calendar will showcase the best football players and teams from across the world,” he added.