Opening game of Pro Kabaddi League sees 45% higher rating than season one

NEW DELHI: The opening game of the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League has seen a 45 per cent higher rating than the opening game in the first edition of the league.

The July 18 match between the defending champions Jaipur Pink Panthers and last year’s finalists U Mumba was rated 7.2 TVM (BARC panel CS 4+), which was 45 per cent higher than the opening game of last season (TAM Panel CS4+).

“The appeal of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has cut across demographics with the core, urban, youth audiences passionately following the game while women and children continued to contribute about 50 per cent of viewership showing the universal appeal of the sport,” broadcaster Star said in a release.

The metro contribution was 64 per cent to overall television viewership demonstrating that the urban, millennialist audiences have a strong affinity for the sport, Star said.

The league scored big on the digital front too. Hotstar, the online broadcaster of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, witnessed a massive interest from metros and the large cities. “We have seen more than 15 times increase in online viewership already with 10.1 million viewers in the first week vs last season where the entire tournament amassed 0.7 million viewers,” the broadcaster said.

Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India said, “We are overwhelmed and delighted to see the Indian fan’s rediscovery and passionate following of the uber-cool, Indian sport of Kabaddi. Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has grown from strength to strength and while season 1 was about re-discovering the game, season 2 has seen a deepening of engagement and appreciation for the sport and its heroes.”