WWE and Sony Pictures releasing new Hindi television series

WWE issued the following press release to announce the lunch of their new weekly Indian television show “WWE Sunday Dhamaal”.

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the launch of a new weekly show in Hindi, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, featuring the best action and family-friendly entertainment from WWE’s flagship programs Raw^® and SmackDown^® beginning this Sunday, June 25 from 6.00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sony MAX, India’s number one movie channel.

WWE Sunday Dhamaal will be presented by well-known television personalities Salil Acharya and Madonna Tixeira and include exclusive features giving Indian fans a unique, localized WWE experience beyond Raw and SmackDown each week.

Fans will be able to engage with WWE Sunday Dhamaal through social media in a segment called Debate of the Week. Viewers can share their opinions on Facebook and Twitter, and the best posts will be displayed on-air. The weekly show will also include trivia contests with chances to win WWE merchandise. WWE fans from the world of sports and Bollywood will also appear as special guests.

WWE Sunday Dhamaal replaces Raw Sunday Dhamaal and will air in Hindi on Sony MAX and in English on TEN 1 and TEN 1 HD on Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

“WWE fuels the most dedicated audience around the world and has a huge fan following,” said Mr. Neeraj Vyas, Senior EVP & Head, MAX cluster of channels and Channel SAB, SPN. “With Sony MAX’s mass appeal and wide reach, and with action entertainment gaining immense popularity among the audience, we made the decision to telecast WWE Sunday Dhamaal on the channel. WWE has had a long-standing connection with India, and we are sure the show will enjoy a good following.”

“We are excited to partner with Sony Pictures Networks India to bring our passionate fans new and localized content featuring all their favorite WWE Superstars,” said Mr. Sheetesh Srivastava, Vice President & General Manager, WWE India. “WWE Sunday Dhamaal gives our massive fan base in India a customized version of WWE’s blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment from Raw and SmackDown every week.”

About Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.

SPN comprises of 29 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET and SET HD), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, another Hindi movie channel showcasing great Indian Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA channel for Hindi movies; SAB and SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; Sony PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from SPN’s content library; PIX and PIX HD, the English movie channels; LePlex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN and AXN HD, the action and adventure-oriented English entertainment channels; Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, AATH, the Bangla movie channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; Sony SIX, Sony SIX HD, SONY ESPN, SONY ESPN HD, TEN 1, TEN 1 HD, TEN 2, TEN 3, TEN Golf HD – the cluster of sports entertainment channels; YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; SonyLIV – the digital entertainment VOD platform, SPN Productions, the networks’ film production arm and Sony Pictures Networks Distribution Pvt Ltd. (SPND) that distributes the networks television channels across different genres and languages through multiple content delivery platforms. SPN reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries.

The network has been awarded the elite title of ‘Aon Best Employers India’ in the 2017 edition in recognition of SPN’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices.

Sony Pictures Networks India is in its 22^nd year of operations in India.

Powell’s POV: WWE is in business with Sony in India, which begs the question of how this will affect Impact Wrestling long term given their lucrative partnership with Sony Six.