SonyLIV, once an amazing streaming platform to watch live sports and high-quality regional content, has now become a place where ads reign supreme over content. You all must be wondering why, all of a sudden, the streamer has increased the number and duration of ads, right?
The change in SonyLIV’s ad policy has baffled its users, who now have no option but to endure long, unskippable ads in one go while watching their favourite content. Moreover, a large section of SonyLIV users consistently complain about having to sit through six unskippable ads even when watching short highlights of their favourite football or cricket matches.
For the viewer, this shift is a source of intense irritation, compounded by persistent complaints about poor picture quality. But for its parent company, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), this pivot appears to be less of a creative decision and more a desperate act of financial survival.
The compelling reason behind SonyLIV’s sudden ad barrage is written clearly in the financial reports of SPNI: the company is grappling with a severe economic downturn.
SPNI has reported a noticeable decrease in its total revenue and profit for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. The parent company’s total revenue dropped to INR 6,338 crores from FY24’s INR 6,641 crores. Its domestic revenue also suffered a substantial hit, declining to INR 5,575 crores in FY25 from INR 5,777 crores in FY24. In addition, revenue from operations reduced to INR 6,151 crores in FY25 from INR 6,435 crores in FY24.
Moreover, the company’s advertising revenue fell to INR 2,606 crores, a significant decrease from INR 2,857 crores in FY24. Revenue share from advertising time and distribution also declined to INR 86 crores in FY25 from INR 119 crores in FY24.
All these factors played a key role in adversely impacting SPNI’s total profit in FY25, which plunged to nearly half of FY24’s figure (INR 843 crores), reaching only INR 453 crores.
On the other hand, amortisation, depletion, and depreciation expenses rose to INR 273 crores from INR 226.57 crores, while total expenses increased to INR 5,769 crores from INR 5,461 crores.
In an official statement, SPNI cited evolving market dynamics and shrinking advertising budgets as the main reasons behind its poor financial performance in FY25.
SPNI also struggled in FY24, witnessing its net profit fall by 19% for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2024. Regulatory filings show the company’s profit dropped to INR 839 crore due to difficult market conditions.
During this period, SPNI faced a significant drop in its main income stream, with advertising revenue falling 11% to INR 2,912 crore. Overall revenue from operations also declined by 3%, totalling INR 6,510 crore.
This financial pressure culminated in September this year with a significant internal action: SPNI brought in global consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to conduct a sweeping cost audit across its entire operation, including its flagship OTT service, SonyLIV.
This audit is a clear signal that the era of aggressive, unchecked content spending is over. The mandate is to root out inefficiencies, rationalise content investments against realistic revenue potential, and establish a leaner, more cost-conscious organisation.
Which is why the recent increase in ads on SonyLIV has become, somewhat unavoidably, a necessity for the streamer and its parent company, an unpopular but essential lever for revenue generation. By cramming more advertisements into its subscription tiers, SonyLIV is aggressively attempting to maximise its yield from every viewer.
Unfortunately, this survival strategy comes at the direct expense of the subscriber. Users are flooding social media with complaints about mid-roll ad breaks that are not only long but also repetitive, severely disrupting the viewing flow of popular shows and live sports. Moreover, poor streaming quality remains another major issue, especially during high-stakes live events like the Champions League.
The combination of this user experience disaster and the underlying financial woes paints a concerning picture for SonyLIV’s future. Until the BCG audit delivers a new, sustainable playbook that can balance the high cost of content with competitive pricing and a genuinely premium experience, it appears that viewers will continue to pay the price for SPNI’s financial distress. Stay tuned for more updates.