The Pro Kabaddi League first began in 2014. Today, it is getting good popularity when compared with famous games like cricket.Numerous speculations have come out about the birthplace of this game, which is local to India. It is said that Kabaddi began or was perceived as a serious game during the 1920s. It has from that point forward got listed in the Asian Games. Notwithstanding, it has not had the option to get a lot of pomp. The advancement for Kabaddi came in just when popular TV personality Charu Sharmarecognized the capability of the game.
Star Sports tied up with Mashal Sports in 2014 to begin the Pro Kabaddi League. This only added to the growing list of leagues in India. In fact, PKL has changed Kabaddi into a sport that is commercially feasible. Millions of viewers in India witness the live telecast of the league.
It is precarious to contest with the Indian Premier League, which is one the biggest sporting leagues in the world. Nonetheless, PKL has been showing achievement and it will undoubtedly get fame soon. The other League that it battles with is the Indian Super League. This league is for all football lovers in India. It is not wrong to anticipate solid rivalry between these leagues.
Social media
Numbers accumulated over social media show that IPL rules in the country. Obviously, it includes the best cricketers who have a worldwide followingthat will never die soon. In contrast to the IPL, PKL doesn’t feature players from around the globe. Additionally, IPL started much before the launch of PKL and ISL. It started in 2008 and since then has enjoyed excellent popularity. It thus has a distinct lead as far as online supporters are concerned.
Nonetheless, PKL has got a following of over 300k on Twitter. That is likewise on the grounds that Kabaddi is a game local to India and it doesn’t have viewership outside the nation like football and cricket. In any case, the proof is showing that PKL is becoming famous.
Audience
PKL managed to generate 4.35 million views right after the first season in 2014. IPL had 560 million views even though it didn’t have any noteworthy final match. There were 429 million viewers in the debut season. Obviously, the manner in which IPL is showcased additionally affects the bottom line. For example, Star Sports has played an enormous part in developing the prevalence of PKL. They conducted many off-field activities to boost and promote the game among viewers living even in the tier-2 and 3 cities of India.
The fourth season 4 of PKL, which happened in 2016, saw an ascent in viewership by about 51% when contrasted with the first season. Every effort was made by organizers to boost the popularity of the game. The sixth season of PKL was deferred as Kabaddi Masters and Asian Games were planned around that time. Consequently, the viewership went down that year. In any case, the league recovered the following year as it acquired 1.2 billion in impressions. Consequently, the 2020 version was deferred also due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, trust in viewership is presently instilled and sponsors have no doubts about the popularity of the league.
Commercial aspect
PKL doesn’t rely upon the fan following of star players like the IPL. The ISL framework requires picking a marquee player for every campaign and every team. Additionally, the IPL has several globally cherished players as well in each team, which leads to an increase in viewership from around the world.
Despite the fact that PKL doesn’t have huge names to advertise, profiles of the players have developed with time and teams have hooked onto them since the start. The finances of each team and the league were modest, to begin with, and have grown with time. Star Sports has put in a lot of effort to promote the league and their role is commendable.
Final words
There is no uncertainty about the profitability and growth of the PKL as most sponsorsrenewed their deals in 2019. This despite the fact the league was closely following the 2019 Cricket World Cup. PKL has managed to grab excellent audience viewership, increased sponsorships, and revenue growth. There will be a great deal of development and improvement in the numbers and statistics as time passes by.
