Sony Sports Secures Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Broadcast Rights, Bringing Japan Showpiece to Indian Screens

Indian sports fans will have a front-row seat to one of the biggest multi-sport spectacles on the global calendar after Sony Pictures Networks India secured the exclusive broadcast rights for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

 The continental showpiece, scheduled to take place across Japan from September 19 to October 4, will be telecast on Sony Sports Network channels and streamed on Sony LIV across India and the subcontinent marking the third consecutive edition of the Asian Games to be broadcast by the network.

The announcement confirms a partnership that has become one of Indian sport's most consistent broadcasting relationships. Sony's association with the Asian Games now spans three editions, covering the continental event through what has been the most transformative period in Indian multi-sport history. The timing of this renewal is significant India arrives at Aichi-Nagoya on the back of a record-breaking campaign at Hangzhou 2022, where the country crossed the 100-medal milestone for the first time in Asian Games history, finishing with 107 medals including 28 gold.

That historic performance has fundamentally altered the landscape of multi-sport broadcasting in India. Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer and Business Head for Sports and International at SPNI, captured the mood precisely, noting that India's landmark showing in Hangzhou has ignited unprecedented interest in multi-sport events across the country. Where the Asian Games were once a peripheral fixture in Indian sports coverage watched primarily by dedicated fans of niche disciplines the Hangzhou edition transformed them into genuine must-watch television, as shooter after shooter, wrestler after wrestler, and athlete after athlete delivered moments that gripped a nationwide audience.

Sony's investment in the Aichi-Nagoya rights is both a reflection of that shift and a bet on its continuation. With India's sports ecosystem producing elite performers across a wider range of disciplines than at any previous point in history, the 2026 Asian Games carry the promise of another exceptional Indian campaign one that a growing and engaged audience will want to follow in real time.

The Games themselves promise to be a spectacle of considerable scale and ambition. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will feature 41 disciplines, including 32 Olympic sports a programme that reflects the Asian Olympic Council's commitment to keeping the Asian Games both comprehensive and aligned with the Olympic movement. Adding fresh energy to the event are new additions including mixed martial arts and surfing, disciplines that bring younger audiences into the fold and expand the competitive canvas well beyond traditional Asian Games staples.

For Indian athletes, Aichi-Nagoya represents a crucial checkpoint on the road to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The Asian Games have increasingly functioned as a high-stakes qualifier and form-indicator for the Olympic cycle, and with Indian sport producing credible medal contenders across shooting, athletics, wrestling, boxing, badminton, hockey and a growing number of other disciplines, the pressure and opportunity of performing in Japan will drive preparation standards to their highest levels.

The streaming dimension of Sony's deal is equally important. Sony LIV's availability across India and the subcontinent means that fans outside the reach of traditional television can follow every event, every final, and every medal moment in real time on their devices a distribution model that suits the habits of a younger, mobile-first generation of sports viewers who are driving the growth in multi-sport viewership that Hangzhou first catalysed.

For the Indian sports ecosystem as a whole, the confirmation of Sony's broadcast partnership is welcome news. Visibility drives investment, investment drives infrastructure, and infrastructure drives performance. When 107 medals are broadcast to a captivated nation, the ripple effects reach training centres, academies, and the ambitions of young athletes across the country.

Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is five months away. India will be watching and Sony will make sure of it.