Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is recalibrating its growth strategy with a renewed focus on South India, marking what could be one of the company’s most consequential regional expansions in recent years.
At a time when Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) are facing pressure on both viewership and monetisation amid the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, the broadcaster is looking to regional markets—particularly the South—where linear television continues to show relative resilience.
According to sources, SPNI has filed a trademark for a Tamil channel and is preparing to launch it once regulatory permissions are in place. The proposed channel, likely to be branded ‘Vizhaa’, is expected to go on air later this year. Formal announcements are anticipated in the next financial year, beginning April. If launched as planned, this would be the first time the network has made a deliberate and structured entry into the southern television market.
The move reflects a broader shift in the network’s approach to growth. While SPNI has historically built its presence around Hindi-language content, the evolving broadcast landscape has made regional depth increasingly important. Southern markets, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, have long demonstrated strong viewer loyalty to linear television and localised programming. For national networks, these markets offer an opportunity to diversify revenue and reduce dependence on the more competitive and fragmented Hindi GEC segment.
SPNI’s absence from the South has been a noticeable gap in its otherwise wide portfolio. The company currently operates 28 linear television channels across Hindi, English, Marathi and Bangla genres, spanning general entertainment, movies, kids and sports. Though it has established brands in certain regional markets such as Marathi and Bangla, these operations remain limited in scale compared to competitors that have built extensive multi-language networks.
This gap has had strategic implications. Without a southern footprint, SPNI has faced constraints in offering advertisers a truly pan-India solution. Rival broadcasters such as JioStar and Zee Entertainment operate across both Hindi and multiple regional markets, allowing them to package inventory more comprehensively for national advertisers. Recently, JioStar announced a Rs 4000-crore investment in the South market over the next five years, aiming to dominate regional streaming.
As media buying increasingly prioritises scale and integrated reach, the absence of key regional markets can limit bargaining power. The challenge has been compounded by structural shifts in the pay-TV ecosystem. A shrinking subscriber base and growing leverage among distribution platforms have added pressure on broadcasters’ margins. In such an environment, expanding into regions where linear TV remains relatively stable could help balance risks.
SPNI’s interest in the South is not new. Over the past three decades, the company has explored several entry routes into the region. It previously attempted to acquire ETV’s regional entertainment channels and Maa Television, but both efforts fell through. ETV’s network was eventually acquired by Network18, while Maa TV went to Star India. In 2012, SPNI also tried to acquire Maa TV independently, a move that, had it materialised, might have given the broadcaster an early foothold in the southern market.
Alongside the geographic push, SPNI is reshaping its organisational structure to support a broader content strategy. In a leadership realignment announced recently, the company appointed Rajaraman Sundaram to lead its regional expansion in the South. Sundaram joined SPNI last year from Disney Star and previously headed Colors Tamil. His experience in managing a Tamil channel could prove relevant as the network navigates the nuances of local programming, talent relationships and distribution dynamics.
The company has also unveiled a new operating model aimed at repositioning itself as a content-first, platform-agnostic and multilingual entertainment business. The strategy is designed to bring television and digital operations closer together, reflecting how audiences increasingly consume content across screens rather than through a single medium.
Under the revised structure, content clusters will have end-to-end responsibility for content strategy, programming, marketing and on-air promotions across platforms. The intent is to streamline decision-making and ensure that shows and intellectual properties can travel seamlessly between linear and digital environments.
“As we look ahead to our next phase of growth, we have reviewed our operating model and organisational structure to ensure they best support our goals,” Gaurav Banerjee, CEO, SPNI had said earlier, adding that the network is redefining its content strategy from a largely linear-first to a linear and digital approach that delivers seamless consumer experience across platforms.
The leadership reshuffle extends beyond regional expansion. Nachiket Pantvaidya will head Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sony Marathi and movie production. Ajay Bhalwankar will lead Sony SAB, the movies cluster, free-to-air and infotainment channels, while Ambesh Tiwari will oversee Sony AATH along with the kids business. Following Danish Khan’s resignation, the network plans to appoint a new head for its digital business, with Banerjee overseeing the vertical in the interim. Rajesh Kaul will lead a consolidated revenue function as chief revenue officer.
Together, these changes suggest a company seeking to align its organisational structure with a more diversified growth agenda. The combination of regional expansion, digital integration and content cluster accountability indicates an effort to reduce silos and respond more quickly to shifting audience preferences.
For SPNI, the South India entry is both an opportunity and a strategic necessity. Regional markets have become central to the economics of Indian television, and broadcasters without a meaningful presence risk being sidelined in national media plans. At the same time, launching a new channel in an established and competitive ecosystem presents execution challenges—from building local content pipelines to securing carriage and advertising support.
The planned Tamil channel will therefore serve as a test case for the network’s broader ambitions. Its performance could shape how aggressively SPNI expands into other southern languages in the future.
As the Hindi market contends with slowing growth and digital disruption, SPNI’s pivot underscores a larger industry reality: sustainable scale increasingly depends on regional strength.
