Logo used since 2022 | |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
|
| Headquarters | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Programming | |
| Language | Bengali |
| Picture format | 576i SDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Networks |
| Sister channels | See List of channels owned by Sony Pictures Networks |
| History | |
| Launched | March 2008 |
| Former names | Channel 8 (2008–2010) |
| Links | |
| Website | Sony AATH |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| SonyLIV | Sony AATH Shows |
Sony Aath is an Indian Bengali-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sony Pictures Networks, with programming mostly consisting of television series from SET India dubbed in Bengali. It was launched in 2008 as Channel 8, and was later acquired by Sony in early 2009, which subsequently rebranded it as Sony Aath. It is Sony Pictures Networks India's first regional television channel, and in May 2020 was the fastest growing Bengali-language television channel in India over the past four years.
In November 2007, Kolkata-based film production house Channel 8 announced to launch a Bengali-language film channel, Channel 8 Talkies, under the banner Bangla Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. The channel was planned to be launched the following month, but was delayed. The company also announced to launch a general entertainment channel by July 2008. Channel 8 was launched in March 2008 as a film channel, serving audiences in West Bengal and Tripura, as well as parts of Assam and Orissa. It was originally a free-to-air channel.
As part of Sony Pictures Television International's ambitions to enter the regional television market in India, Multi Screen Media acquired Channel 8 in early 2009. The channel was subsequently rebranded as Sony Aath, officially marking Sony's first entry into the non-Hindi Indian regional market. As senior vice president of Multi Screen Media, Tushar Shah handled the channel, who had been consulting the channel for a few months.
Sony Aath created C.I.D. Kolkata Bureau, a local adaptation of the Indian crime detective series CID, premiering in November 2012. The channel was the broadcaster for the Indian Bengali audiences of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, helping it with a whopping 265 per cent rise in viewership. On 8 March 2015, Sony Aath introduced a kids' slot airing on Sundays named "Sunday Funday", premiering with Gopal Bhar. It broadcast the 2015 Indian Premier League in the Bengali language.
Sony Aath began airing Hollywood movies dubbed in Bengali every weekend on 4 July 2021. On 24 October 2022, along with all other SPNI channels, Sony Aath changed its logo in order to align more with Sony's global ethos. In January 2026, Ambesh Tiwari was appointed to head Sony Aath, alongside Sony Pictures Networks' Kids and Animation Portfolio.