• Only Indian sports league to grow over 4 seasons; 51% viewership growth from Season 1 to Season 4
• Women’s Kabaddi Challenge also registers record viewership; World Cup to follow in October
Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League has set the benchmark for successful domestic sports leagues in India with viewership growth in each season. On a cumulative basis the league has shown growth of 51%* over the last 4 seasons and is the only Indian sports league to demonstrate growth over 4 seasons. The recently concluded Season 4 posted 10 million average impressions.
Besides this stupendous success, Kabaddi also made history for women’s sport in India with the Women’s Kabaddi Challenge. The Women’s Kabaddi Challenge saw India’s best women players hit the mat delivering an average 6.7 million** impressions on TV at an all India CS 4+ level. This is an impressive 2.3 times higher than the previous viewership high of 2.9 million** impressions recorded for the ICC World T20 2016 second semi-final game between New Zealand and West Indies, the highest rated Women’s game till date. Interestingly, Women’s Kabaddi Challenge features amongst the Top 10 sporting events watched on TV in India over the last one year. **(Source: BARC)
The excitement around Kabaddi in India will be taken to the next level with the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup set to kick off in October this year. Scheduled to take place in India, the flagship event will witness 12 teams from around the world including USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya showcasing their talents as the world tunes in to see the crowning of the world champion.
Nitin Kukreja, CEO, Star Sports said, “The spectacular growth in viewers is testament to the journey that Kabaddi has made over the course of 4 seasons. Both the men’s and women’s games have been loved by Indian audiences and the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will be another milestone in the journey of this spectacular sport.”
The growing preference for Kabaddi has resulted in an encouraging response from sponsors over the last 26 months. Season 4 saw a total of 12 sponsors as compared to 9 sponsors in Season 3. Some of India’s most loved brands like Airtel, SBI, Gionee Mobiles, Bajaj Electricals, Vini Cosmetics, Amazon, Fair & Lovely Men, Nestlé Munch, Castrol, Britannia, Bisleri and Indo Nissin Foods feature in this list. A total of 64 brands were associated with the league between central and 8 franchises for Season 4.
Notes on Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 4 Top performers
This was the first time that two seasons of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League was played in the same year and the response received both in terms of stadium presence and audience at home has been encouraging. With franchises aiming for well-balanced squads in auctions, Season 4 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi was an evenly and closely contested one, hence playing a key role in keeping the audience glued to television sets. In fact, it was the most competitive Pro Kabaddi season with 7 of the 8 teams fighting it out for the playoff positions till the final leg.
Patna Pirates created history by becoming the first team to retain the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi title. The season also saw scintillating performances by star players with 3 raiders scoring more than 100 Raid points, Rahul Chaudhari leading the pack with a whopping 146 Raid Points. Rahul also became the first player to cross the 500 points mark in PKL history. Pardeep Narwal continued from where he left off in season 3. With his 131 raid points, Pardeep emerged as the most valuable player of the season aiding Patna’s title defense. What exemplifies the quality of Kabaddi in season 4 is the fact that even foreign players stamped their supremacy. While Iranian all-rounder Meraj Sheykh and South Korean raider Jang Kun Lee continued to impress with their eye catching performances, it was Patna’s Fazel Atrachali who stole the limelight. With 52 tackle points to his name, Fazel won the best defender of the tournament award, showing the world that Kabaddi has truly gone global.
*Comparing Season 4 at All India (U+R) to Season 1 (Urban)