Festive season, no truce: Tata Play-Sony linear TV war spills into CTV distribution

The distribution war between Tata Play and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is moving beyond the traditional direct-to-home (DTH) battlefield, with Sony channels now also absent from Tata Play’s Smart connected TV proposition as the two sides head towards their next hearing before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on October 30.

What began as a dispute over channel distribution and commercial terms is now playing out against a fundamental shift in television consumption, as distributors expand into connected TV (CTV) and broadcasters seek to maximise the reach of their content across screens. 

Yet, even as the industry embraces platform convergence, the Tata Play-Sony standoff underscores how entrenched distribution disagreements can spill into newer television offerings.

The timing is particularly significant. The festive season is a critical window for television viewership, marquee programming and advertising spends, but Tata Play subscribers accessing its Smart proposition will not find Sony channels in the offering. 

Read more: DTH players enter CTV

While the channels remain available through a la carte options and selected premium packs on Tata Play’s DTH service, they continue to remain outside its base bouquets.

Tata Play and Sony Pictures Networks India declined to formally comment on the development.

From DTH dispute to connected TV battleground

Tata Play has expanded its television proposition to connected screens through Tata Play Smart, whose app listing advertises more than 500 live television channels across sports, news, movies and general entertainment.

The catalogue includes channels from major broadcasters, including Star Plus, Zee TV, Colors, Star Sports, Star Gold, Zee Cinema, MTV, Star Maa, Zee Telugu, Sun TV and Star Vijay. Sony channels, however, are absent from the Smart proposition, extending the practical implications of the dispute into another distribution environment.

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The development comes as DTH operators increasingly look beyond satellite-based television delivery to build a presence in connected TV, where live channels, OTT platforms and free content can be aggregated through a single interface. 

For distributors, these propositions offer another route to retain audiences within their ecosystems. For broadcasters, they provide additional opportunities to reach viewers beyond conventional pay-TV distribution.

But the absence of Sony channels from Tata Play Smart brings the underlying commercial conflict into sharper focus: the expansion of distribution platforms does not necessarily translate into wider access to content when agreements between broadcasters and operators remain contested.

Festive optimism, but no settlement in sight

Sony Pictures Networks India Managing Director and Chief Executive Gaurav Banerjee had expressed hope that the prolonged dispute could be resolved during the festive season. However, his comments have stopped short of signalling any concrete breakthrough.

Read earlier e4m report on Gaurav Banerjee’s views on the dispute

When asked whether the festive period could end the legal tussle, Banerjee said, “I hope so.”

On whether Sony channels would return to Tata Play’s broader channel packs as the broadcaster brings marquee programming to television, he added: “I’m hopeful. It’s anyway, everyone can ask for and get the channels.”

Banerjee was referring to the availability of Sony channels on a la carte terms. His remarks did not confirm a settlement, disclose the status of negotiations or establish a timeline for their return to Tata Play’s base bouquets.

Marquee entertainment and live sports can drive viewing, but the commercial value of that programming also depends on its accessibility across distribution platforms.

Read more on Fast TV’s next disruption

Sony Sports Network’s channels add further weight to the dispute, given the role of live sports in driving appointment viewing and influencing consumer choices. Their continued absence from Tata Play’s base bouquets leaves the two companies entering the festive window without a publicly confirmed resolution.

October 30 hearing puts pressure on the standoff

The commercial impasse continues to be accompanied by legal proceedings before TDSAT. The tribunal heard the matter on August 7 and scheduled the next hearing for October 30.

In an earlier order, TDSAT directed Tata Play to deposit ₹40 crore within two weeks while granting a stay on the execution of a ₹128.42 crore demand notice issued by Culver Max Entertainment, the Sony group company operating the relevant television broadcasting business.

The tribunal had also stayed execution of the contested demand notice and directed the broadcaster to refrain from airing static images or scrolls relating to the dispute.

Culver Max subsequently approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the TDSAT order restricting public comments on Tata Play’s decision to remove Sony channels from its DTH packs. The High Court did not grant interim relief but allowed Sony to share a standard social media message stating that the dispute was sub judice and that Sony channels remained available on Tata Play through its a la carte service.

The proceedings have continued leaving the distribution dispute unresolved as the festive season gathers pace.

A changing television market, an unresolved distribution war

The standoff comes as television distribution itself undergoes a structural shift. Operators are moving towards connected TV and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), while broadcasters are building distribution across pay TV, connected screens and digital platforms.

Vzy, Nelen and Sun Direct's Linear TV Streaming proposition, for instance, brings together hundreds of live television channels, OTT platforms and free content. The platforms have onboarded channels from JioStar, Sony Pictures Networks India, Warner Bros Discovery India and Zee Entertainment, illustrating how linear television and streaming are increasingly being packaged together.

The contrast is notable: Sony is participating in an integrated connected-TV proposition even as its distribution dispute with Tata Play extends into the latter’s Smart offering.

For Tata Play, the shift towards connected television creates an opportunity to take its channel aggregation business beyond the DTH connection. For Sony, distribution across multiple platforms offers additional avenues to reach audiences. But the Tata Play-Sony conflict demonstrates that neither technological convergence nor the arrival of new viewing interfaces automatically resolves disagreements over commercial terms.

With the October 30 hearing approaching, the question is no longer confined to when Sony channels might return to Tata Play’s base bouquets. It is also whether the two sides can reach an accommodation while television distribution expands into connected screens and the festive season puts a premium on content access.

For now, Banerjee’s optimism remains just that: optimism. There is no publicly confirmed settlement, and Sony channels remain outside Tata Play’s base bouquets and absent from its Smart connected TV proposition. The festive season is under way, but the Tata Play-Sony channel war is far from over.