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Sony ESPN was a sports channel owned by Sony Pictures Networks India, under licence from ESPN. Launched in April 2015 as Sony Kix, it rebranded in January 2016 to Sony ESPN.

After rival broadcaster Star (which used the ESPN brand in India until 2013) was acquired by The Walt Disney Company (which owns the ESPN brand internationally) in March 2019, it was announced on 14 March 2020 that Sony ESPN SD and HD would be discontinued on 30 March along with Sony Mix, a Hindi music channel. Sony ESPN will most likely be replaced by Sony Ten 4.

Sony Kix

2015–2016

SonykixIndia

Sony Kix was Sony Pictures Networks India's second sports channel after Sony Six, which was launched in 2012. Sony Kix was launched on 8 April 2015 in advance of Season 8 of the Indian Premier League. This launch came two days after that of sister channel AXN HD.

Sony ESPN

2016–2020

Sony ESPN
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In late 2015, ESPN re-entered the Indian subcontinent in partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India (its previous Indian venture, ESPN Star Sports, was disbanded in 2013). Therefore, the Sony Kix name turned out to be short-lived, as it was rebranded to Sony ESPN on 17 January 2016.

An HD feed was launched on the same day.

Later, on 18 July 2017, all of Sony Pictures Networks' sports channels (consisting of Sony Six and the Ten Sports Network—Ten 1, Ten 2, Ten 3 and the now-defunct Ten Golf HD—that SPN had acquired from ZEEL in March 2017) rebranded to follow this logo format, with the word Sony on top and the name of the channel in a white rectangle below.

Sony ESPN ceased broadcasting on 30 March 2020, along with its HD version and sister channel Sony Mix. These shutdowns are similar to the shutdowns of Sony Le Plex HD, Sony Rox HD and Sony Ten Golf HD on New Year’s Eve 2018.


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