Sony Max

Sony Max is an Indian pay television entertainment channel built around Hindi-language films and mass-market sports and entertainment programming. It is part of the Sony television channel family in India and operates as a sister channel to Sony Entertainment Television. The channel began broadcasting on 20 July 1999, establishing a dedicated Hindi entertainment outlet within the Sony network at a time when Indian television audiences were increasingly being served by specialized language and genre channels. Its core programming proposition has traditionally been Hindi cinema. Sony Max broadcasts Bollywood films across different eras and genres, using a mixture of library titles, repeat scheduling, themed programming, and television premieres. The channel has also occasionally shown Hollywood films and Hindi-language versions of international entertainment properties, including WWE programming. This combination gives Sony Max a broader entertainment profile than a narrowly defined movie channel, while Hindi film remains its central identity. A major turning point in the channel's audience profile came with the launch of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Sony Max carried IPL coverage from the tournament's inaugural season through 2017, making cricket a significant part of its proposition in addition to films. Its cricket presentation included supporting studio and discussion programming such as Extraaa Innings T20. The IPL association helped Sony Max reach audiences beyond regular movie viewers and contributed to its visibility as one of India's leading Hindi entertainment channels. The broadcasting rights later moved to Star Sports, ending Sony Max's IPL coverage after the 2017 season. The channel expanded its technical offering with an HD simulcast launched on 25 December 2015. The HD service provided a higher-resolution version of the main channel's programming while retaining the central Hindi movie and entertainment focus. Sony Max has also been distributed internationally, including in the United Kingdom, where it has served Hindi-speaking and South Asian audiences. In July 2018, it was reported as one of India's most-watched television channels and as the leading Bollywood channel in the United Kingdom during that period, ahead of competitors such as Zee Cinema. Sony Max sits within a broader portfolio of Sony-branded Hindi entertainment channels. Related services include Sony Max 2, introduced in 2014 as a channel dedicated primarily to older Hindi films, and Sony Wah, a free-to-air service aimed particularly at viewers in smaller towns and rural areas, with Hindi films and dubbed South Indian films. Sony Max 1 was launched on 1 May 2025 as another Hindi movie channel in the portfolio. The corporate operator associated with these services was formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India and is now known as Culver Max Entertainment. The channel's continuing role is to provide widely accessible Hindi film entertainment, supplemented by selected sports and imported programming, across Indian and international television markets.

Sony Max was launched in India on 20 July 1999 as a Hindi-language pay television entertainment channel within the Sony network. Its role was to complement Sony Entertainment Television with a channel whose identity was more closely associated with Hindi films and broad, mainstream entertainment. From its early years, the channel's programming centered on Bollywood cinema, supplemented by selected international movies and other entertainment properties adapted or presented for Hindi-speaking audiences. The channel's most consequential expansion beyond films came through cricket. Sony Max carried the Indian Premier League from the competition's launch in 2008 until 2017. IPL coverage gave the channel a high-profile live sports property and introduced a recurring cricket audience to a service otherwise identified mainly with movies. The associated studio and discussion programming included Extraaa Innings T20, which helped connect live matches with analysis and entertainment-oriented presentation. Sony Max no longer held the IPL rights after 2017, when the broadcasting arrangement moved to Star Sports. Sony Max also developed a broader distribution and technical footprint. A high-definition simulcast began on 25 December 2015, allowing pay television subscribers to receive the channel in HD while preserving its principal Hindi entertainment schedule. The service became available internationally, including in the United Kingdom, where it reached audiences interested in Hindi films and South Asian television. Its reported audience performance in July 2018 placed it among India's leading television channels and made it the top Bollywood channel in the United Kingdom for that month, ahead of Zee Cinema. The channel forms part of a wider Hindi entertainment portfolio operated by the company formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India and now known as Culver Max Entertainment. The related portfolio includes Sony Max 2, launched in 2014 with an emphasis on classic Hindi films; Sony Wah, a free-to-air channel aimed at smaller-town and rural audiences and carrying Hindi films along with dubbed South Indian films; and Sony Max 1, launched on 1 May 2025 as an additional Hindi movie channel. Sony Max itself remains positioned as a mainstream Hindi movie and entertainment service, with its identity shaped by the combination of Bollywood programming, occasional international content, and its earlier association with major cricket coverage.

• 2025

  Sony Max 1 launches

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Max 1 launches on 1 May 2025 as another Hindi movie channel associated with the operator's portfolio.

• 2017

  IPL rights move to Star Sports

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Max's IPL broadcasting period concludes after the 2017 season, following the transfer of rights to Star Sports.

• 2015

  HD simulcast launches

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Max launches an HD simulcast on 25 December.

• 2014

  Sony Max 2 launches

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  The related Sony Max 2 channel launches with a focus on older Hindi-language films.

• 2008

  IPL coverage begins

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Max begins broadcasting the Indian Premier League from the tournament's inaugural season.

• 1999

  Sony Max begins broadcasting

  [1]Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Max starts broadcasting on 20 July 1999 as an Indian Hindi-language pay television entertainment channel.

A mass-market Hindi entertainment channel centered on Bollywood films and supplemented by major sports and general entertainment programming.

• Hindi entertainment television channel · 1999

  Sony Max

  The flagship Sony Max service is a pay television channel focused primarily on Hindi-language Bollywood films. Its schedule has also included selected Hollywood films, Hindi-language WWE broadcasts, cricket coverage, and related studio programming. It is distributed in India and internationally and has an HD simulcast.

• Classic Hindi movie television channel · 2014

  Sony Max 2

  Sony Max 2 is a related Hindi movie channel launched in 2014. It is oriented toward older Hindi-language films and classic Bollywood viewing, giving the wider portfolio a dedicated nostalgia and film-library service distinct from the main Sony Max channel.

• HD television simulcast · 2015

  Sony Max HD

  Sony Max HD is the high-definition simulcast of the main Sony Max service. Launched on 25 December 2015, it delivers the channel's Hindi film and entertainment schedule in a higher-resolution television format.

• Hindi movie television channel · 2025

  Sony Max 1

  Sony Max 1 is an additional Hindi movie channel associated with Culver Max Entertainment. It was officially launched on 1 May 2025 and expands the operator's Sony Max-branded film offering.

• 2017

  End IPL broadcasting after the 2017 seasonOther

  Background

  Sony Max had carried the Indian Premier League from its first season in 2008.

  Action taken

  The channel stopped carrying the tournament after 2017 when the broadcasting rights moved to Star Sports.

  Aftermath

  Sony Max returned to a programming profile more strongly centered on Hindi films and general entertainment.

  Source

• 2015

  Launch the Sony Max HD simulcastOther

  Background

  The channel's growing television distribution created a basis for offering its programming in a higher-definition format.

  Action taken

  Sony Max introduced an HD simulcast on 25 December 2015.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained a high-definition version while retaining its core Hindi movie and entertainment programming.

  Source

• 2008

  Add Indian Premier League coverageProduct launch

  Background

  Sony Max was primarily known as a Hindi movie and entertainment channel when the Indian Premier League began in 2008.

  Action taken

  The channel carried IPL broadcasts and related cricket studio programming, including Extraaa Innings T20.

  Aftermath

  Cricket became an important audience driver alongside Hindi films until Sony Max's IPL rights ended after the 2017 season.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Sony MAX and UFC Gym India partner on Alpha MAX Challenge[2]Sony MAX 与 UFC Gym India 合作推出 Alpha MAX Challengeadgully.com

  Reported: 2026-10-28

  Sony MAX partnered with UFC Gym India on the Alpha MAX Challenge, a trainer-led workout experience inspired by the film Alpha’s combat elements and action.

1. 1Sony Maxen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sony MAX 与 UFC Gym India 合作推出 Alpha MAX Challengeadgully.com