Sony’s attention play

Gaurav Banerji on building stronger IP, expanding regional, powering sports and winning the consumer across screens

Kalpana Ravi

For Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), the next phase of growth is not about choosing between television and digital. It is about building a content ecosystem where strong stories can travel across screens, languages and platforms — with consumer attention emerging as the real currency. 

That thinking is reflected in SPNI’s latest content strategy and, as outlined by Gaurav Banerji, a broader shift towards bringing content creation and monetisation closer together. The objective is to view the consumer holistically and maximise the value of an IP across television, streaming, connected TV and other platforms.

For Banerji, the principle is simple: a good story is a good story, irrespective of the screen.

Consumers no longer think in terms of channels or platforms. They think about what they want to watch, when they want to watch it and where it is available. For broadcasters, therefore, content value increasingly lies not in where it premieres, but in how effectively it can generate attention and engagement across the ecosystem.

KBC: Reimagining a Legacy IP

The clearest example is Kaun Banega Crorepati. After 25 years, KBC does not need awareness; it needs continued relevance. In the age of AI, where answers to almost every question are instantly available, Sony is looking to take KBC beyond trivia towards reasoning — how people think, decide and apply knowledge under pressure.

The evolution also highlights why established IP remains valuable to advertisers. In uncertain economic environments, brands gravitate towards platforms with proven audience resonance.

Google Gemini’s association with KBC illustrates how brand partnerships can move beyond conventional advertising. The opportunity is to integrate technology or products into the content and consumer experience rather than simply place them around it.

The shift is from buying presence to creating relevance.

Regional: Tamil Is Only the Beginning

SPNI’s entry into Tamil is among its most significant expansion moves. Tamil Nadu is a large, sophisticated and fiercely competitive entertainment market, meaning Sony cannot simply replicate its Hindi programming strategy.

Instead, it is looking to build a distinctly Sony proposition around game shows, crime franchises, family entertainment and differentiated formats, while drawing on local talent and cultural insights.

Tamil is only the beginning. SPNI also plans to strengthen its Marathi presence and expand programming in Bangla and Telugu.

The larger ambition is to evolve Sony from a predominantly Hindi-focused entertainment network into a multi-language content company for India.

Importantly, regional expansion is not being positioned as a replacement for the Hindi business. Sony intends to continue investing in its established markets while building regional businesses that can eventually become meaningful growth and profit engines.

For brands, this creates a more nuanced opportunity. Regional India is no longer simply an extension of a national media plan. It represents distinct audiences, cultural contexts and consumption behaviours. The ability to take powerful IP and give it a genuinely local identity could become a significant competitive advantage.

Sports Remains a Growth Engine

Entertainment expansion does not mean Sony is stepping back from sports.

Cricket remains central to SPNI’s portfolio, supported by international cricket and major multi-sport events. The Asian Games and India’s international cricket calendar provide a substantial pipeline of live sports content.

Sports brings something uniquely valuable: appointment viewing and concentrated attention. In a fragmented entertainment environment, live sport remains one of the few properties capable of bringing millions of viewers together simultaneously.

But audience scale cannot be pursued at any cost. Large audiences do not automatically translate into a healthy business when rights economics become unsustainable.

Sony’s challenge is therefore to balance audience engagement with commercial discipline — ensuring sports properties build fandom while making business sense.

Attention Before Retention

Perhaps the most revealing element of Banerji’s strategy is the emphasis on attention.

Streaming conversations increasingly revolve around retention, personalisation, AI-led discovery and keeping consumers within an ecosystem. Sony’s view is that all of these ultimately begin with one thing: attention.

If consumers care about a story, they watch it. If they engage with it, they are more likely to return. And if they return, the opportunity to build a stronger subscription and monetisation relationship increases.

Attention, therefore, is not an outdated metric. It is the foundation for engagement, retention and monetisation.

For a content company, the strategic focus remains remarkably clear: make people care enough to watch.

The Creator Economy Changes the Rules

Sony is also recognising that television is no longer the only route to building IP. YouTube and social platforms have democratised content creation. Creators can develop formats independently, build audiences and demonstrate demand before traditional broadcasters get involved.

The India Game Show is an example of this changing model.

For broadcasters, creator platforms can therefore become discovery engines for new formats, talent and IP rather than simply competition. Sony’s opportunity is to identify ideas with existing audience traction and bring its production, marketing and distribution capabilities into the equation.

The old gatekeeper model is changing. Earlier, television decided which ideas received distribution. Today, audiences can decide first — and traditional media companies can follow the attention.

Less Content, Sharper Bets

Sony does not necessarily want to produce more content than everyone else. It wants to make sharper bets. In a market flooded with shows, movies, short-form content and creator-led entertainment, abundance is no longer the challenge. Discoverability, differentiation and sustained engagement are. That makes strong IP increasingly valuable.

KBC brings decades of equity. Crime Patrol brings familiarity. Sports brings live engagement. Regional expansion opens new audiences. SonyLIV provides digital depth. The opportunity is to make these assets work harder across the ecosystem.

The same discipline extends to movie acquisitions and sports rights. Sony is willing to invest behind content that can create long-term value, while remaining selective about paying for someone else’s IP simply to acquire short-term attention.

That discipline will become increasingly important as the media industry moves from a growth-at-any-cost mindset towards sustainable economics. The Bigger Bet Ultimately, SPNI’s strategy comes down to one proposition: build content powerful enough to travel.

Across television and digital. Across Hindi and regional languages. Across entertainment and sports. Across conventional advertising and deeper brand integrations. The screen may change. The platform may change. Consumer behaviour will certainly change. But if the underlying IP remains relevant, its monetisation can evolve with the consumer.

That is the larger bet Sony is making. Not television versus streaming. Not entertainment versus sports.Not Hindi versus regional. Attention first. IP at the centre. Every screen as a potential destination.

For brands, that could be the most important takeaway from Sony’s next phase: in a market where consumers have more choices than ever, the winning media proposition may not be the one with the most inventory. It may be the one with the strongest reason to make people stop, watch and come back.