Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) most watched by Indians after IPL

It is a well-established fact that the Indian Premier League is the premier event in the country when it comes to television viewership. This was the very reason why broadcast giants such as Star went all out for the telecast rights of the high-octane cricketing event during the bidding wars.

Due to their global reach, Star India overhauled Sony Pictures Networks, who was responsible for bringing in the event to our television sets for a decade, by placing a whopping amount of INR 16,000+ crores to acquire both digital media and telecast of the event.

The concept of the franchise based cash-rich league also ventured into different sports in the country appealing to the city-based loyalties. Sports such badminton, hockey, football and many others have their own leagues in India now.

Prominent personalities such as Abhishek Bachchan (Jaipur Pink Panthers, Chennaiyin FC), Sachin Tendulkar (Kerela Blasters, Tamil Thalaivas) and Sourav Ganguly (Athletico de Kolkata) have their own teams in the different sporting leagues. Although, none of the sport has acquired as much viewership than that of the Kabaddi league.

PKL garnered a total viewership of 3.3 billion

According to reports, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has emerged as one of the most viewed leagues in India. As a matter of fact, the viewership tally is only second to that of the IPL. Reports from Business Standards suggests that the fifth edition of the PKL garnered as many as total viewership of 3.3 billion.

The statement from Star indicates that the fifth edition of the Kabaddi league saw 26.2 million people following the event. These numbers are second to only the 10th edition IPL which accumulated a tally of 39.4 million and as a result holds the top spot.

The expansion of the league for the fifth edition also helped its cause as 12 teams participated in the tournament ranging over 130 matches spread across 13 weeks. The season of Pro Kabaddi League also saw top international stars such as Jang Kun Lee and Meraj Sheykh.