Mumbai: Bluesport Entertainment announced on Monday that Viacom18 secured media rights for the inaugural season of the Premier Handball League (PHL). Viacom18 will provide multi-platform coverage on JioCinema, Sports 18-1 (HD & SD) and Sports 18 Khel.
The Premier Handball League's inaugural season will begin on 8 June and will end on 25 June 2023. The International Handball Federation has recognised India as the next big destination for handball. To amplify the efforts of Bluesport Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., Handball Association India, and South Asian Handball Federation, Viacom18 will showcase the Premier Handball League at prime time from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Viacom18 recently acquired global television and digital rights to broadcast the Women’s Premier League (WPL) from season 2023 to 2027. They are also the digital broadcasters of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the same period. In addition, the network clocked historic numbers during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as digital viewership went past TV in India for the first time for a global marquee sports event, with 32 million viewers tuned in to JioCinema on the final day of the FIFA World Cup.
Over 110 million viewers consumed the content on digital, making India one of the highest digital viewership markets for the FIFA World Cup. Viacom18 said that JioCinema continued to be the No. 1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.
The Premier Handball League is the first professional handball league in India. The first-of-its-kind competition is associated with the South Asian Handball Federation and backed by the Asian Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation.
The first season will see six teams go up against each other in round-robin format consisting of 30 matches, followed by three knockout matches to determine the ultimate champion. The 33 matches will be spread over 18 days, and each team will have a minimum of 10 matches. Each squad will consist of 17 players, made up of 14 Indian players and three foreigners.
Widely recognised as the fastest Olympic sport, handball has a strong grassroots presence in India. Handball’s popularity at the grassroots level is due to the tireless efforts of the Handball Association of India. They have ensured that the national team’s ranking at the global level has been consistently rising.
Bluesport president Abhinav Banthia said, "India is growing exponentially as a sporting nation. Handball has a very strong presence in the country, especially at the grassroots level. Our thought behind the Premier Handball League was to help utilise the popularity of the sport by giving it a platform that will amplify sports traction in India. We are glad to onboard Viacom18 as the official broadcast partner, as we believe they will help us package this competition ingeniously so that this unique league becomes relatable for fans. Overall, we believe if you package speed, strength, stamina, agility, technical precision, skill, teamwork and fast-paced action, you come to handball, and a league for handball will turn out to be the leading indoor sports league in this country very soon."
South Asian Handball Federation secretary general Dr. Anandeshwar Pandey said, "The Premier Handball League will provide the much-needed push Indian Handball has needed for years. It will also help to direct the spotlight on Handball not only in India, but all of South Asia, which I am sure will help boost participation and popularity of the sport. The Premier Handball League has all the necessary elements to be a highly successful competition, especially now that they have announced Viacom18 as a broadcast partner. I am sure the league will grow rapidly as it is set to produce the star athletes of tomorrow for Indian fans to support."
