NEW DELHI: Increased ratings, ad volumes and brand involvement have all contributed to making the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), which finished yesterday, a resounding success.
Data from TAM Sports, reported in Exchange4Media, showed a 56% rise in ratings as TVRs reached 1.23 compared to last season's figure of 0.79.
The highest rating recorded was 1.67, for the match between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Dabang Delhi, while the second highest was 1.55, for the game between Bengal Warriors and U Mumba.
Mumbai was the top metro market in terms of viewership, while Maharashtra led among the states.
Overall, time spent viewing (TSV) per match was up 15% to 19 minutes 27 seconds.
Much of this came from a younger male audience, in particular 15-24 year olds in the ABC socio-economic classification. But female viewership was also significant, contributing 39% of the total viewership of the league.
The over-35s made up just over one third (35%) of all viewers, while the D and E groups accounted for a similar proportion (34%).
Commercial ad volumes had leapt ahead, growing 24-fold from 1.5 hours to 36.6 hours, and the total number of brands taking part rose from eight to 20.
Altogether, nine brand owners – two more than season one – advertised products across 12 categories (eight in 2014). And seven of these advertisers were new to the PKL.
Flipkart, Bajaj Electricals and Coca Cola topped the advertiser list during the second season of PKL, Exchange4Media reported.
The only real negative was that the reach of the league had dipped from 108m to 103m.
The success of this year's competition has prompted broadcaster Star to announce there will be two seasons in 2016, with an earlier one slotted in at the start of the year before cricket's T20 World Cup and the India Premier League.
"It is a five-week activity now, we want to move it to 10 weeks," said Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer at Star India.
"[The] more the volume, [the] more popular it will be", he added. "A lot of young people are already watching kabaddi on our digital platforms, which is a great indicator."
Data from TAM Sports, reported in Exchange4Media, showed a 56% rise in ratings as TVRs reached 1.23 compared to last season's figure of 0.79.
The highest rating recorded was 1.67, for the match between Jaipur Pink Panthers and Dabang Delhi, while the second highest was 1.55, for the game between Bengal Warriors and U Mumba.
Mumbai was the top metro market in terms of viewership, while Maharashtra led among the states.
Overall, time spent viewing (TSV) per match was up 15% to 19 minutes 27 seconds.
Much of this came from a younger male audience, in particular 15-24 year olds in the ABC socio-economic classification. But female viewership was also significant, contributing 39% of the total viewership of the league.
The over-35s made up just over one third (35%) of all viewers, while the D and E groups accounted for a similar proportion (34%).
Commercial ad volumes had leapt ahead, growing 24-fold from 1.5 hours to 36.6 hours, and the total number of brands taking part rose from eight to 20.
Altogether, nine brand owners – two more than season one – advertised products across 12 categories (eight in 2014). And seven of these advertisers were new to the PKL.
Flipkart, Bajaj Electricals and Coca Cola topped the advertiser list during the second season of PKL, Exchange4Media reported.
The only real negative was that the reach of the league had dipped from 108m to 103m.
The success of this year's competition has prompted broadcaster Star to announce there will be two seasons in 2016, with an earlier one slotted in at the start of the year before cricket's T20 World Cup and the India Premier League.
"It is a five-week activity now, we want to move it to 10 weeks," said Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer at Star India.
"[The] more the volume, [the] more popular it will be", he added. "A lot of young people are already watching kabaddi on our digital platforms, which is a great indicator."
Data sourced from Exchange4Media, Economic Times; additional content by Warc staff
