Mumbai: Mashal Sports has announced the second part of the ongoing vivo Pro Kabaddi League with next 33 matches to be played from 20 January to 4 February. The event will be broadcast live every day from 7:30 p.m onwards on Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar.
Out of 132 matches, PKL season 8 has already witnessed 66 matches between 12 teams and the next 33 matches will include ‘rivalry week’ where playing teams are selected for popular sentiments and folklore between respective geographies. The ‘rivalry week’ of PKL season 8 will be played from 31 January to 4 February.
“A notable feature of Pro Kabaddi is that it offers the highest number of matches among front-ranking Indian sports leagues,” said Mashal Sports CEO and PKL league commissioner Anupam Goswami. “This is a unique value proposition for its 12 Teams, its athlete pool, as well as sports fans and sponsors in our country’s sports ecosystem. The completion of 66 matches of the first half of season 8, as well as the release of the next 33 matches, is proof of our commitment to this intrinsic value of Pro Kabaddi.”
“We are proud to be associated with Pro Kabaddi, which has undertaken the massive task of conducting its eighth season in the given challenging circumstances,” said vivo India director brand strategy Yogendra Sriramula.
Mumbai: Star Sports, the official media rights partner for vivo Pro Kabaddi League, has roped in eight sponsors and many more key advertisers ahead of the commencement of the league.
The eight on-boarded sponsors include vivo, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles, A23, Dream11, Mfine, Byju’s, Officer’s Choice, and Parimatch News. New advertisers like Mfine, A23, Parimatch News, Winzo, GSK, and Luminous among others have also partnered with the broadcaster.
Season 8 of vivo Pro Kabaddi League is all set to begin from 22 December, and for the first time will be played at a single venue, Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center.
“We are delighted with the response that we have received from brands across categories,” said a Star Sports spokesperson. “The recently launched campaign- ‘Jo Bhidega Woh Badega’ has created a stir of excitement amongst fans and advertisers alike for the return of PKL after two years. The overall reception from advertisers is a testament to the brand value of India’s homegrown sport. We have solidified our position as a broadcaster that provides advertisers with customized creative solutions to drive high engagement and are confident that the interest among advertisers will only continue to grow with each passing year.”
The new format will feature triple headers) on the first four days in the opening week. Bengaluru Bulls will square off with U Mumba in the opening match. The ‘Southern Derby’ between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans will be the second match followed by UP Yoddha squaring off with defending champions Bengal Warriors in the final match of the day.
Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League, one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in terms of viewership is all set to return on 22 December, after a two-year hiatus, imposed by the pandemic.
Like sporting events, the league has also undergone format changes owing to Covid-19 protocols. This time, all matches will be played in Bengaluru, sans any LIVE audience to cheer their favourite teams. But, this may not mar the enthusiasm of the fans who have been waiting for the sporting event, say agency experts. The official broadcaster Star Sports Network too has upped its ante and pushed its marketing efforts to regain the viewership that the series enjoyed pre-pandemic.
Will PKL see a similar resurgence in viewership like the IPL?
According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), the sports genre had 2.4 per cent share in the overall TV viewership before Covid struck. This decreased to 0.7 per cent during the first lockdown, then increased marginally to 0.8 per cent during Unlock period, and grew once again to 4.1 per cent by the end of the year. The Indian Premier League (13th season) that was aired between week 38 and week 45 increased sports viewership by six times compared to previous weeks (week 34-37). (BARC Yearbook 2020)
“IPL in 2020 had a format shift due to Covid-19, however TV ratings saw an increase by about 50 per cent. One of the major reasons was high TV viewership during pandemic and lockdown. But, the viewership went back to 2019 levels in 2021,” said MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
It is also significant to note that IPL was the only major sports event that was aired in the pandemic year 2020. Since people were confined to their homes and starved of LIVE sports action, TV viewership increased across genres. While, PKL may not have that advantage, because 2021 has turned out to be a tremendous year for LIVE sports with a packed sporting event calendar, especially in the second half.
“Looking at the ratings trend this year, the numbers might be slightly lower than what the last season did, as the overall numbers have changed in the past two years,” said dentsu Amplifi India group trading director Sujata Dwibedy. “But, good marketing from the (Star Sports) network, across media is expected. This should pull more viewers.”
Campaign in full swing
Star Sports has already kicked off the promotions for the eighth season of PKL roping in M S Dhoni for their ad campaign. More recently, the broadcaster released a regional ad film playing up the opening match of PKL between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas on 22 December. The promo featured movie star Naga Chaitanya, indicating that the marketing efforts are in full swing.
“In 2019, PKL witnessed 50-55 per cent growth in viewership from the previous season across different audiences and markets,” observed MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
Kabaddi being a homegrown sport, the league has enormous support and viewership from the Tier II and III towns. PKL viewership base largely comes from markets like Andhra Pradesh/Telangana (32 per cent) followed by Maharashtra/Goa (24 per cent), Karnataka (12 per cent) and Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (seven per cent) and Kerala (five per cent), as per the BARC data.
The viewership for PKL is much more evenly spread out according to dentsu’s Dwibedy. “It is not necessary that only people from the hinterland and Tier II towns have been viewing it (PKL), it has its loyal fans across demographics and across audiences but is skewed towards males,” she added.
No LIVE audience at this year’s spectacle
This year PKL will be missing LIVE audiences and will shed the caravan style format. Instead, all teams will play at a single location in Bengaluru. Looking back at IPL last year, media planners suggest that format changes will have little to no impact on the viewership of the tournament. Mashal Sports has also announced that triple headers will be played on all Saturdays which may have a positive impact on the viewership over weekends.
New categories of advertisers likely
Ad rates and sponsorship for PKL are likely to see a premium in proportion to the growth in audiences that the event saw in 2019.
According to dentsu’s Dwibedy, brands who found cricket very expensive but want to still associate with some impactful property will be looking to partner with PKL, along with brands who genuinely see a fit with PKL and want to amplify their presence through the series. “We could also see some new categories of advertisers emerging as sponsors,” she added.
“The other opportunity is also to do with the season and timing, IPL has always been a popular choice for summer brands whereas PKL is happening in a period that will attract winter seasonal brands,” said Mediacom’s Shah.
Categories such as e-sports, e-pharmacy, auto, telecom, beverages, mobile handsets, paan masala, deodorants, paints, and cement have consistently been associated with the tournament and are expected to do the same this year.
Mumbai: Star India, the official broadcaster of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8, has unveiled its campaign #JoBhidegaWohBadhega, starring Indian cricketer MS Dhoni.
After a two-year hiatus, Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 8 will start airing from 22 December onwards on Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar.
The ad spot cinematically envisages diverse stories featuring the youth of today, who will not bow down to any sort of pain, pressure or bullying and overcome such staunch challenges with equal aplomb. An injured player braving the pain for his team, a young girl fighting against harassment from a group of boys or junior resisting from being ragged by his seniors at a hostel are some of the stories featured in the brand film.
Moving away from its previous caravan format, Vivo PKL Season 8 will be held at a single venue in Bengaluru. The tournament will feature Triple Panga (Triple Headers) on the first four days in the opening week. Bengaluru Bulls will square off with U Mumba in the opening match. The highly anticipated ‘Southern Derby’ between Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans will be the second match followed by UP Yoddha squaring off with defending champions Bengal Warriors in the final match of the day.
“We are thrilled to bring back Vivo Pro Kabaddi League after a two-year hiatus,” said Star and Disney India head – sports Sanjog Gupta. “Kabaddi has a strong following among millions of fans who missed the sport during the pandemic and can now re-engage with #LePanga. The campaign celebrates the indomitable human spirit which has to overcome all kinds of challenges, big and small. We believe Kabaddi exemplifies this very spirit in its gameplay as the raider dares to enter the opposition team’s half of the mat and takes on many defenders to triumph. Winning in life as in Kabaddi needs us to press forward with belief and take challenges head-on. ‘Jo Bhidega Toh Badhega’ stands for this common truth.”
“The action-packed sport requires quick thinking, situational awareness, swift moves and a daring attitude, which combined with Disney-Star’s unrivalled and innovative coverage makes it a compelling watch,” he added.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports has announced the schedule of the first half for Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season eight that will begin from 22 December at 7:30 p.m. The entire season will be conducted at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre without spectators.
As a special format for PKL season eight, Mashal has scheduled ‘Triple Headers’ on the first four days to ensure that kabaddi fans across the country get to watch each of their favourite teams play in the very initial days of the league.
PKL season eight will begin with U Mumba facing Bengaluru Bulls in the tournament opener. The league’s ‘Southern Derby’ will then take centre-stage as Telugu Titans lock horns with Tamil Thalaivas in the second match and UP Yoddha square off with the defending champions Bengal Warriors in the last match of the opening day.
This season will feature ‘Triple Panga’ driven by Triple Headers on all Saturdays through the course of the tournament ensuring that kabaddi aficionados have their fill of ‘Thigh-Five’ entertainment. The new format will raise the excitement for the season’s weekends and keep fans hooked onto the action, even as the contending teams focus on the first-part schedule to establish a vantage position vis-à-vis their competitors. The release of the season’s second-part schedule by mid-January is also expected to help PKL Teams assess and rebuild their competition strategies for the second half of the tournament.
“The Vivo Pro Kabaddi League is known for reinvigorating and popularising India’s own sport of kabaddi, and with the new format, we aim to continue reinventing the sport,” said Mashal Sports chief executive officer and league commissioner Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Anupam Goswami. “Releasing the schedule in two halves will help teams strategize better and keep the fans engaged. The triple headers and ‘Triple Panga’ will provide more fans more opportunities to watch their favourite players and teams in action as they battle it out for the coveted title.”
Keeping the health and safety of players in mind, Mashal Sports will be undertaking the task of converting the entire venue at Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre into a single integrated and secure bio-bubble. With this unique setup, all 12 teams will be staying and playing at the same venue as Mashal Sports is focusing on following and adhering to the safety protocols set by the authorities.
