MUMBAI: After managing the social media channels for Seasons 3 and 4 of the Coal India Hockey India League (HIL), Sportz Interactive has been called on board for the third consecutive year to handle the digital space for the 2017 edition of the league. Sportz Interactive has also developed the official Hockey India and Hockey India League mobile applications on Android and iOS.
The Coal India Hockey India League is a property of Hockey India, the National Sports Federation for hockey in India. Sportz Interactive has been managing social media and the mobile application for both Hockey India and Hockey India League since December 2014. Along with capturing the emotions of the fans through the #HighOnHockey campaign, this year’s edition of the Coal India HIL will see in-depth and comprehensive coverage of the event on social channels, paired with a unique activation that has never been seen before on any sports page to connect with fans.
Shining as a great example of innovation meeting success, the Coal India HIL has presented the opportunity for promising Indian players to rub shoulders with the world’s best, thus improving their exposure to the best in the sport. The 2016 season of the Coal India HIL saw a 40% increase in viewership, thus reigniting the passion for the sport in India. With an innovative rule change where two goals are awarded for every Field Goal, the leaguehas transformed hockey into a more fast-paced and exciting sport. Young talent like Armaan Qureshi, Affan Yousuf, Harjeet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit and many more have come through the ranks by benefiting from the league. A Gold Medal at the recent Uttar Pradesh Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 for the Indian Team was also proof of this talent coming to the fore.
Hockey India & Coal India Hockey India League Elena Norman CEO said: “The Coal India Hockey India League is primarily driven by its fans. Social media continues to play a very important role for us to regularly engage with them. The team at Sportz Interactive is proactive in suggesting innovative ways we can be seen and heard in the digital space. We have a good mutual understanding built over the years of their engagement with Hockey India and Coal India Hockey India League.”
“Sportz Interactive is extremely proud of its long-serving relationship with Hockey India and the Coal India Hockey India League, and we’re delighted with the continued opportunity to bring richer content and fan experiences to followers of India’s beloved sport across digital and social media platforms,” added Sportz Interactive global partnerships founder and head Naveen Aranha.
The rise in popularity of Indian Hockey and the league transcends its social media space too. With a humble 25,000-odd followership in January 2016, both Hockey India and Hockey India League now boast of a multi-fold increase in their fan base with almost 180,000 followers on Twitter. On Facebook too, there has been a leap in the combined strength of both pages from 2.2 million to 5.5 million likes as of 24 January 2017. This just goes to show the long way Hockey India and Hockey India League have come in the past year.