The Star India broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has said the inaugural season of the Pro-Kabaddi League has become the second largest Indian sports property behind cricket’s Indian Premier League in terms of broadcast reach.
At the end of a five-week run that began on July 26, Star returned a cumulative viewership of 435 million – a figure it claims is second only to the IPL in Indian sport, with the Twenty20 competition bringing in 552 million viewers in its last completed season.
The Pro-Kabaddi League title clash, where Jaipur Pink Panthers beat U-Mumba 35-24, brought in 86.4 million viewers, roughly three-quarters of the figure for an average IPL match.
Uday Shankar, chief executive of Star India, said: “Kabaddi was a signal of our commitment to foster a truly multi-sport culture in India by taking a nearly forgotten game and transforming it into a contemporary offering. The fact that it now has the overwhelming support of people brings us great pride.”