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ATN to launch two more channels from Sony Pictures Networks India

V.SAT | September 12, 2022

TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2022 /CNW/ - Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN) (TSXV: SAT), Canada's largest South Asian broadcaster and pioneer broadcaster of cricket, is pleased to announce that is has acquired the Canadian distribution rights for two more TV channels from Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) namely Sony YAY! and Sony PAL.

Sony YAY! is India's go-to kids channel for non-stop Kids entertainment! Its vision is to be a part of kids' everyday lives through various endeavours. A channel targeted at kids aged between 2 – 14 years, Sony YAY! is here to set new standards and benchmarks in kids' entertainment genre with its unique, fresh and relatable content.

Sony PAL is the general entertainment channel (GEC) from the SPN stable. The channel showcases stories and characters which forms an instant bond with its viewers. With the tagline 'Yeh Pal Humara Hai', which means 'This moment is ours', Sony PAL aims to bring positivity through its content offerings which inspires its viewers.

"We are very proud of our long association with Sony Pictures Networks, a world leader in Entertainment." said Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, President & CEO of ATN. "We are delighted to launch our first children's channel across Canada along with another popular General Entertainment Channel from the network. With the massive growth in South Asian population across Canada, these channels will attract a large loyal audience." he added.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Jaideep Janakiram, SVP International Business – America, said, "We are ecstatic to announce our launch in Canada with Sony YAY! and Sony PAL. Our partnership with ATN goes a long way and will further help in taking our channels to the right audiences. The consumption of Indian content has surged amongst the South Asian diaspora in the recent years and the launch of both these channels in Canada will fill in the need gap of audiences with our compelling content."

ATN already has a long-lasting association with Sony Pictures Networks India and distributes five channels across Canada namely SET HD, Sony SAB, Sony MAX, Sony MAX2 and Sony AATH. Sony YAY! And Sony PAL will launch on September 13, 2022 on TELUS Optik TV in Western Canada, and soon after in other parts of the country through licensed distributors.

About Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited (formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks):
Sony Pictures Networks is the consumer-facing identity of Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, Japan.

The Company has several 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 India Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the Hindi movies channel for rural markets; SAB and SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from its content library; PIX and PIX HD, Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, Sony AATH, the Bangla entertainment channel; YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; Sony Sports Network – SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD; SONY TEN 4, SONY TEN 4 HD; Sony Marathi, the Marathi general entertainment channel; SonyLIV - the digital entertainment VOD platform and Studio NEXT the independent production venture for original content and IPs for TV and digital media. The Company reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries.

The Company is recognised as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry. It is a recipient of several awards, including India's Best Companies to Work For 2021 by the Great Place to Work® Institute, India, 'Aon Best Employers India' awards in recognition of the company's unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices, consistently ranking amongst India's Top 10 Companies with Best Health & Wellness Practices by SHRM & CGP Partners and listed by Working Mother & AVTAR as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India.
The Company is in its 27th year of operations in India. Besides having overseas subsidiaries, it has a subsidiary MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited and an affiliate, Bangla Entertainment Private Limited in India.

For more information, log onto www.sonypicturesnetworks.com

About ATN-Asian Television Network International Limited
ATN serves Canada's diverse cultural communities with over 50 specialty television channels. The Company offers its flagship ATN-HD general interest service along with 7 other general interest channels, 3 sports Channels, 7 news Channels, 5 Bollywood movie channels and a variety of channels that include music, lifestyle, and several regional language channels that includes Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati & Marathi. ATN has been a pioneer in the Production of Multicultural Television Programming in Canada. ATN has programming alliances with leading international broadcasters like Sony Entertainment Television, Viacom, India Cast, Zee Network, Doordarshan, Times Television, B4U, NDTV, Republic TV, ABP News Network, Jaya TV, ARY, FOOD FOOD Network and many more. ATN is also a pioneer broadcaster of Cricket in Canada and has exclusive broadcast rights for various International Cricket Boards. ATN has its own State Of The Art Production facilities. ATN's content is also available on Amazon Prime in USA & UK, Bell Media's Crave in Canada and also operates a 24X7 South Asian Radio Service on Sirius XM Radio across The United States and Canada. ATN's high class Studio Facilities have also been used by Production Companies associated with Netflix, CBC and others.