Sony LIV is an Indian
subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
service owned by
Culver Max Entertainment. Sony LIV was introduced in 2013 as the first
OTT service in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. As a streaming service, it provides
live sports,
original titles, other content titles from its own networks and content titles in India licensed from third-parties such as
JioHotstar,
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
among others. The Sony LIV content library includes
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
s,
TV shows and series, and sports.
History
Sony LIV was launched on 23 January 2013.
LIV Sports
LIV Sports was launched on 1 June 2014 by Culver Max Entertainment (as a new sports streaming service exclusively for sports properties). LIV Sports was the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
starting 12 June 2014. LIV Sports aired both live and video-on-demand match content with statistics and analysis.
Sony LIV first revamp (2018)
Sony LIV underwent its first revamp and started to stream live television channels. Since then, Sony LIV has added many shows and movies to its portfolio. On 1 November 2018, Sony LIV and
Lionsgate entered a multi-year content deal.
Sony LIV second revamp (2020)
Sony LIV revamped its content and interface in May 2020 using
AWS Cloud.
Sony LIV was launched as a streaming service in the United States on
Sling TV, streaming all the shows available in India on the app.
On 15 January 2021,
WWE Network was launched in India through Sony LIV.
Sony LIV was launched in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
on 14 October 2021. It was launched in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore on 25 February 2021. On 12 June 2021, as part of Europe Phase-1, Sony LIV was launched in France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK (9 April 2021). On 1 October 2021, as part of Europe Phase-2, Sony LIV was launched in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden.
Content
Current broadcasting rights
*
2022 Asian Games (2023)
*
US Open (2022–24)
Overview
Sony LIV's core library consists of 18+ years of content from Culver Max Entertainment's channels including
Sony TV,
Sony SAB,
Sony Aath and
Sony Marathi; and more than 700+ movies, which means a total of 40,000+ hours of television show coverage in Hindi and English.
History
Varieties of anime originals from
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...
were available on Sony LIV to stream. After shutting down a linear TV channel on 18 April 2017,
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...
was made available exclusively as a digital streaming channel in India from 7 July 2017 to 7 May 2020.
Sony LIV also streamed cricket matches played by
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
Beginning with the 2022
US Open, Sony Pictures Networks India will have the exclusive live television and digital rights to the US Open in India through 2024. US Open would livestream on Sony LIV.
Sony LIV Originals
Sony LIV has streamed a number of original
streaming television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...
series. The first-ever original was a Gujarati web series titled ''
Kacho Papad Pako Papad'' and it is streaming since 2017.
Sony LIV underwent a revamp in its appearance in June 2020. Since then, Sony LIV provides their original shows in 5–7 languages.
Genres
Sony LIV features content in the following key genres: comedy, crime, drama, horror and action.
Viewership
As of August 2015, Sony LIV had reached about 25 million views on a monthly basis.
Sony LIV security flaw
On 20 December 2019,
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
-based security researcher Ehraz Ahmed discovered a
security flaw in the Sony LIV app, that allowed to fetch sensitive user information such as profile picture, email address, date of birth, name and phone number of its registered users.
See also
*
Culver Max Entertainment
*
ZEE5
*
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
*
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
*
Wakanim
Wakanim was a French subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service.
The service specialized in online streaming and simulcasting of Japanese anime series. It was also the first platform to offer videos for download without digita ...
*
VRV
*
Anime on Demand
Anime on Demand was a German video on demand service that specialised in the streaming of anime within German-speaking markets. Before the service's closure on 8 December 2021, Anime on Demand was owned by the Crunchyroll EMEA division of Crunchy ...
*
Crackle
*
Hooq
*
Quizzer of the Year
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sony LIV
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Television
Subscription video on demand services
Video on demand services
Indian entertainment websites
Internet television channels
Sony Pictures Networks India
2013 establishments in Maharashtra
Internet properties established in 2013
TvOS software
OTT Platforms in India