MUMBAI: Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League season 2 witnessed a stunning opening with a 45 per cent viewership increase as compared to its inaugural season last year.
The opening game on 18 July between defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers and last year’s finalists U Mumba, rated 7.2 TVM (BARC panel CS4+), which is 45 per cent higher than the opening game of last season (TAM Panel CS4+).
This kick-start to the second season validates that viewers have moved beyond the initial curiosity of season one to a deeper level of affinity and engagement with this aspirational Indian sport.
The appeal of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League has cut across demographics with the core, urban, youth audiences passionately following the game while women and children continued to contribute about 50 per cent of viewership showing the universal appeal of the sport. The metro contribution was 64 per cent to overall television viewership demonstrating that the urban, millennialist audiences have a strong affinity for the sport. The League scored big on the digital front too. Hotstar, the online broadcaster of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, witnessed a massive interest from metros and large cities.
Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “We are overwhelmed and delighted to see the Indian fan’s rediscovery and passionate following of the uber-cool, Indian sport of Kabaddi. Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League has grown from strength to strength and while season 1 was about re-discovering the game, season 2 has seen a deepening of engagement and appreciation for the sport and its heroes. We would like to thank our partners International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), Mashal Sports and our sponsors for their tireless commitment towards realizing this great vision.”
Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League has become one of the most talked-about events on social media. The opening day of the tournament saw #ProKabaddi trending across India, as fans from Jaipur and Mumbai resumed their rivalry in a replay of last year’s final. To date, the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League season 2 has seen over 230,000 conversations on social platforms driving five billion potential impressions. This is approximately three times greater than last year.
Additionally, Hotstar launched a series of unique content with shows like Jabaddi where Bollywood veteran Jaaved Jaaferi narrates and reacts to the most entertaining moments of the game on a weekly basis and Ultimate Panga hosted by Rannvijay Singha, who puts Kabaddi's superheroes through a series of tasks to test their skill and strength.
Hotstar also associated with VJ Jose to create Tickle Bomb, which are short and funny clips that builds the ‘Kabaddi is fun’ quotient.
