Matribhumi Samachar English
Kolkata, September 2025: Despite the sweet taste of victory in the much-anticipated India–Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE on Sunday, September 14th and subsequently on Sunday Sept,21st, it has left a bitter aftertaste for thousands of Tata Play subscribers across the country as many of them missed the live telecast that was broadcast on multiple Sony channels.
Over the last few months, Tata Play has kept Sony channels out of its core subscription packs, forcing viewers to purchase them separately. However, for a high-voltage encounter like India vs Pakistan, fans rushed to add these channels, only to face glitches or reactivation snags on match day. Many Tata Play users were unable to watch the game despite making payments.
In Chennai, a homemaker voiced her frustration, “Because an India–Pakistan match is so rare, the whole family and friends circle make their plans around it. We knew Sony Channels are not part of Tata Play packs; hence, we willingly paid to reactivate Sony TEN 4. But the reactivation didn’t happen instantly as we thought it would, and we missed it. We feel cheated.”
Social media platforms, too, were flooded with complaints, with several customers accusing the service provider of ruining what should have been a festive cricket evening celebrating a comprehensive India win.
On Twitter, a subscriber vented: “Just subscribed to Tata Play Binge only for the Asia Cup, and now I find out it’s not available. This was never informed at the time of subscription. This feels misleading and unfair.”
For many subscribers, the issue goes far deeper than the missed match. The feeling of being cheated and misled after paying specifically to watch the game risks eroding trust in Tata Play.
Trust is the bedrock of any service relationship, and once lost, it rarely returns easily. If customers begin to believe that their money cannot guarantee delivery, they may turn to rival DTH providers or OTT platforms. In a fiercely competitive market, such a dent in credibility could prove far more damaging to Tata Play than a single night of technical lapses.
While the broadcaster ensured wide availability across its network and Sony Liv, Tata Play chose to play spoil sport, highlighting the contrast between availability and accessibility; and the plight of the viewer caught as a yoyo-in-between.
Industry observers point out that disputes between distributors and broadcasters are not uncommon, but the timing has struck a raw nerve with cricket fans. As one media analyst noted, “The broadcaster made the game available everywhere it could. It’s the service provider’s responsibility to deliver; and failing to do so during an India–Pakistan game in a cricket-crazy nation like India, where cricket is well-nigh a national religion, and with Indian audiences known to treat every India–Pakistan encounter as a festival, it is bound to spark outrage.” The lost TATA PLAY subscribers will not be watching the Asia Cup final match on the Tata Play platform.
For now, Tata Play continues to face mounting criticism from customers who feel let down on one of the biggest days of the cricket calendar. Maybe it will serve them well if they remember trust, is a two-way street; if you want the customer to want you, make sure you give them what they want.
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Note : The views expressed in this news are people’s own opinions, Matribhumi Samachar does not necessarily agree with them.
