MUMBAI:The ancient sport of
Kabaddi has caught the attention
of broadcasters in India.However,
taking the sport to the world.is
Greymatter Entertainment’s
Wave World Kabaddi League.(WKL) that is all set to kick off on 9 August at the O2 arena in
London.
Indian sports broadcaster Sony Six which has
bagged the telecast rights for the league in
India is very enthusiastic about it. Sony Six
business head Prasana Krishnan says that the
channel wants to establish credibility of the
sport first on television and then focus on
increasing viewership.
Krishnan expects WKL to be popular in the
northern belt of India especially in UP and
Punjab where the circular styled format of the
game is more prevalent. To add to it is the
presence of celebrities Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi
Sinha and Yo Yo Honey Singh as team owners.
“This format has never been seen on TV. The
style of kabaddi followed in WKL is more
physical, contact driven and fast paced,” he
informs. According to industry sources the
channel may have bagged the broadcast rights
for Rs 35 crore to Rs 50 crore.
Pre and post analysis of the games will be
recorded in Hinglish, produced at the venue
itself. As reported earlier by
indiantelevision.com Greymatter Entertainment
(which was awarded the contract to produce
the league) has put together a crew of 70
seasoned sports television production
professionals from Australia, South Africa,
Malaysia, and India to create the HD feed for
broadcasters in the US, the UK, Canada, and
Asia. 10 to 12 cameras will capture the action
and relay it live for various broadcasters in
Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, Pakistan and
Africa.
WKL follows a travelling format similar to
Formula 1 and will be played at 15
international venues with 86 matches over a
four month long period. The country where
the event is being held will have a live telecast
during its prime time. Therefore, when it is in
the US, it will be the US prime time and since
it is early time for India, there will be a repeat
during Indian prime time.
Will the duration create a fatigue problem for
viewers? Krishnan brushes away the doubt by
saying, “International football leagues too have
a similar long format and have done well. It
will be travelling from city to city and since it
will be telecast over the weekends I am
hopeful it will do well.”
As part of the promotions, TVCs featuring
Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha are being
played on MSM network channels including
English GECs AXN and Sony Pix as well as on
the YouTube channels. Social media is not
ignored.
Not surprisingly, the marketing campaign is
focused towards the northern belt of India
with print ads in both vernacular and English
newspapers. Radio spots have been bought on
stations such as Radio Mirchi, Big FM and My
FM. Outdoor hoardings adorn metros like
Mumbai and Delhi which will see an increase
once the league enters the India phase.
Sony Six is also playing wait and watch to see
how both local and international markets react
to television’s new found sport. The
broadcaster wants to monetise once the league
comes to India after the first two rounds are
held abroad. The channel for now has ads
from companies such as the Wave group which
is the title sponsor. An industry source says
that a 10 second slot during prime time can
cost anywhere between Rs 15000 to Rs 20000.
Sources peg the title sponsor price to be
approximately Rs one crore to Rs two crore.
Sonalika International is the official partner
and Li Ning Company is the official apparel
partner.
As to what Six has learnt from the ongoing Pro
Kabaddi League Krishnan says, “The games have
definitely been able to receive traction. Though
the game is the same, the two can’t be
compared as the rules, arena and the format
are different”. He further goes on to add that
findings have shown that the Star Sports Pro
Kabaddi league seems to be a following a
pattern wherein it is seen to receive maximum
traction from west India as compared to Sony
Six’s expectation from WKL to do well in the
north.
The WKL is a privately owned company of
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal (he also serves as the president), and has
Pargat Singh as commissioner with Raman
Raheja serving as the CEO. It is slated to travel
across six countries beginning in the UK, the
US, India, Pakistan, Canada and UAE - and
has eight franchisee teams battling for a purse
of Rs 4 crore. The cities that the league
matches will be held in include: London,
Birmingham, Dubai, New York, Sacramento,
Stockton, Toronto, Vancouver, Delhi, Bathinda,
Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali. http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/sports/wave-world-kabaddi-league-targets-north-india-140808
Kabaddi has caught the attention
of broadcasters in India.However,
taking the sport to the world.is
Greymatter Entertainment’s
Wave World Kabaddi League.(WKL) that is all set to kick off on 9 August at the O2 arena in
London.
Indian sports broadcaster Sony Six which has
bagged the telecast rights for the league in
India is very enthusiastic about it. Sony Six
business head Prasana Krishnan says that the
channel wants to establish credibility of the
sport first on television and then focus on
increasing viewership.
Krishnan expects WKL to be popular in the
northern belt of India especially in UP and
Punjab where the circular styled format of the
game is more prevalent. To add to it is the
presence of celebrities Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi
Sinha and Yo Yo Honey Singh as team owners.
“This format has never been seen on TV. The
style of kabaddi followed in WKL is more
physical, contact driven and fast paced,” he
informs. According to industry sources the
channel may have bagged the broadcast rights
for Rs 35 crore to Rs 50 crore.
Pre and post analysis of the games will be
recorded in Hinglish, produced at the venue
itself. As reported earlier by
indiantelevision.com Greymatter Entertainment
(which was awarded the contract to produce
the league) has put together a crew of 70
seasoned sports television production
professionals from Australia, South Africa,
Malaysia, and India to create the HD feed for
broadcasters in the US, the UK, Canada, and
Asia. 10 to 12 cameras will capture the action
and relay it live for various broadcasters in
Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, Pakistan and
Africa.
WKL follows a travelling format similar to
Formula 1 and will be played at 15
international venues with 86 matches over a
four month long period. The country where
the event is being held will have a live telecast
during its prime time. Therefore, when it is in
the US, it will be the US prime time and since
it is early time for India, there will be a repeat
during Indian prime time.
Will the duration create a fatigue problem for
viewers? Krishnan brushes away the doubt by
saying, “International football leagues too have
a similar long format and have done well. It
will be travelling from city to city and since it
will be telecast over the weekends I am
hopeful it will do well.”
As part of the promotions, TVCs featuring
Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha are being
played on MSM network channels including
English GECs AXN and Sony Pix as well as on
the YouTube channels. Social media is not
ignored.
Not surprisingly, the marketing campaign is
focused towards the northern belt of India
with print ads in both vernacular and English
newspapers. Radio spots have been bought on
stations such as Radio Mirchi, Big FM and My
FM. Outdoor hoardings adorn metros like
Mumbai and Delhi which will see an increase
once the league enters the India phase.
Sony Six is also playing wait and watch to see
how both local and international markets react
to television’s new found sport. The
broadcaster wants to monetise once the league
comes to India after the first two rounds are
held abroad. The channel for now has ads
from companies such as the Wave group which
is the title sponsor. An industry source says
that a 10 second slot during prime time can
cost anywhere between Rs 15000 to Rs 20000.
Sources peg the title sponsor price to be
approximately Rs one crore to Rs two crore.
Sonalika International is the official partner
and Li Ning Company is the official apparel
partner.
As to what Six has learnt from the ongoing Pro
Kabaddi League Krishnan says, “The games have
definitely been able to receive traction. Though
the game is the same, the two can’t be
compared as the rules, arena and the format
are different”. He further goes on to add that
findings have shown that the Star Sports Pro
Kabaddi league seems to be a following a
pattern wherein it is seen to receive maximum
traction from west India as compared to Sony
Six’s expectation from WKL to do well in the
north.
The WKL is a privately owned company of
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal (he also serves as the president), and has
Pargat Singh as commissioner with Raman
Raheja serving as the CEO. It is slated to travel
across six countries beginning in the UK, the
US, India, Pakistan, Canada and UAE - and
has eight franchisee teams battling for a purse
of Rs 4 crore. The cities that the league
matches will be held in include: London,
Birmingham, Dubai, New York, Sacramento,
Stockton, Toronto, Vancouver, Delhi, Bathinda,
Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali. http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/sports/wave-world-kabaddi-league-targets-north-india-140808
