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The affinity towards any sport that we played in our childhood lasts forever. So is the buzz surrounding it.
Believe it or not, from being an overlooked sport to garnering million-dollar revenue, the rise of kabaddi in the form of the PKL is seen everywhere.
Kho kho has been a priority sport in Indian youth sporting books, but little has it received the people’s attraction. That raises the question of why anyone would be ready to invest their own money in a new league based on an untested sport.
The revamped Ultimate Kho Kho format will have lots in store for fans, and it tends to be a fun and exciting game to play. With new technological and business opportunities coming into the picture, the organizers of this league can modernize this indigenous sport both on-air and on-ground.
About Ultimate Kho Kho league
Ultimate Kho Kho, India’s first professional kho kho league, is a collaboration between Amit Burman and the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI). The league was launched with the objective of promoting India’s indigenous sport of kho kho into a professional structure.
The league intends to elevate India’s indigenous sport to prominence, make it the most sought-after sports league in the country, and showcase its young talents in front of a pan-India and global audience.
Ultimate Kho Kho will feature six teams in its inaugural season and has kho kho players from all parts of India.
This is the first-ever season that rolled out on August 14, 2022, and will conclude on September 4, 2022, at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge, Pune. The games will take place between 7:00 and 10:00 pm IST.
Is kho kho a marketable sport? Decoding audience base
Kho kho, as a youth sport, has already tasted great success at the South Asian Games, and things are just getting better from here. People used to perceive it as a rural sport, but it has become so well-marketed over the years that spectators outside of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are interested in it, thanks to the game’s distinctive, viewer-friendly, and action-packed format.
In cricket-crazed India, kho kho is seen as a very young and utopian sport that has historically been popular only in areas such as West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu but has lately begun to spread its wings across India.
The sport is played by around 20 lakh people in India, implying that the audience penetration can be substantially higher.
With increased smartphone penetration, the country’s digital consumption of sports content is increasing. Increasing online streaming reflects people’s comfort with the digital environment creating a niche market.
In its debut season, the Ultimate Kho Kho league has collaborated with ShareChat and targets 20 million impressions across the ShareChat and Moj universe.
Is Ultimate Kho Kho league unique in how it appeals to million-dollar market?
Sport is a canvas that is huge enough to create experiences. Kho kho is very much a community sport: down-to-earth and genuine. It’s an adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced indoor sport with incredibly agile athletes performing skydives.
Also, the sports culture in India is rapid and efficient, and the league promises to be one of the best sporting leagues in India in the coming years.
With this being the first professional league featuring the best in the business, it will help popularize kho kho, thereby bringing “Bharat” together to celebrate the sport.
According to the stats, kabaddi has the highest viewership after cricket. So, in an empirical sense, a rural/indigenous sport like kho kho, too, has a certain ROI. To be fair, the game has seen a lot of innovation over the years, luring fans and sponsors.
In a nutshell, ISL and PKL both started around the same time. We’ve seen tremendous growth in the latter PKL over its football counterpart —the broadcast, sponsorship, and marketing have all been first-rate, and the league is doing very well commercially. The alchemy of any indigenous sport is vast in this way.
In today’s environment, sport is viewed as an avenue for emotional expression. It creates a sense of belonging and a connection to a larger world.
With the rise of media culture, players are viewed not only as athletes but as social influencers who best reflect the affinity of the brand and evoke inclination and desire for their poise in relation to sports marketing. As a result, sportspeople act as a means for advertising and promoting well-known brands.
Amit Burman, promoter of Ultimate Kho Kho league, said:
“The sporting ecosystem requires more investment from businesses in various sports. I always encourage sports, especially those that bring communities together and promote active lifestyles to Indian youth. Kho kho is the first ‘run and chase’ format and has all the potential to be converted into television viewership.”
In India, neither a sport like kho kho works quite like cinema, nor is the Ultimate Kho Kho League likely to be the first league to leverage any brand’s value. Besides the league’s popularity, much of the business depends on the marketing and fan engagement techniques that franchises use to attract partners and sponsors.
So, any indigenous sport like kho kho can also offer ample opportunities for brands to reach out to spectators. Their devoted fan following can significantly impact the brand’s ethos and create a bigger story.
