Pro Kabaddi continues to grow in Season 5; touches 50 mn viewership

Tournament now has 12 teams, resulting in more than 130 matches spread across 13 weeks

VIVO Pro Kabaddi in its fifth season registered a cumulative reach of over 50 million viewers, a jump of almost 59 per cent over the opening of Season 4 last year.

This year, the annual Kabaddi tournament added four new franchises to the existing eight, resulting in more than 130 matches spread across 13 weeks. With the introduction of Star Sports First, India’s first free-to-air (FTA) private sports channel, and SS1 Tamil, a dedicated regional sports channel in India, Star Sports has allowed the tournament reach followers of the sport across the nation. 

The state of Karnataka has contributed significantly to a viewership growth of 137 per cent for Season 5 as compared to Season 4. The average rating for day 1 showed an increase in other key markets as well with Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra registering a growth of 48 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. In addition, the recently launched FTA channel, Star Sports First accounted for 23 per cent of the total viewership generated on the inaugural day of the season.

Sanjay Gupta, MD, Star India, commenting on the remarkable growth of VIVO Pro Kabaddi said, “I believe this is the first big year for sports beyond cricket. The spectacular growth in viewership for Kabaddi is a testament to this journey. It is heartening to see the response VIVO Pro Kabaddi has evoked from millions of fans across the country, cutting across geographies and demographics and I am truly overwhelmed by its success and rapid rise.”

The tournament is available live on the Star Sports network, in addition to the recently launched FTA channel Star Sports First, regional channel Star Sports 1 Tamil, in Kannada on Star Suvarna Plus, in Telugu on Star Maa Movies and Hotstar.