Kabaddi League Analysis

8/9/2019 Kabaddi League Analysis

1/20

Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has

the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in

a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was

only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial

barriers Nelson Mandela

SPORTS LEAGUES

Sports leagues comprise of teams made of individual athletes competing on

a national or international scene. These teams are owned by individuals from

diverse background comprising of corporate, lm stars, sportsmen etc.

Usually in these types of leagues due to involvement of various business

houses large amount of money is pooled in and huge investments go in.

Few Sports leagues across the world

Formula 1 !uto "acing#

$!S%!"!uto "acing#

!merican &eague 'ase'all#

$ational 'asket'all !ssociation $'!#

(nglish )remier &eague Soccer#

Sports Leagues in India

!thletics *ndian !thletics &eague *! + to be launched

'adminton *ndian 'adminton &eague *' + &aunched in -1/ *ndian )remier &eague *) + Started in --0, into its th edition

%hampions &eague T- %&T-# + &aunched in --2, into its 3th edition

*ndian %ricket &eague *% + From -- to --2 $ow defunct#

Football *+&eague + &aunched in --, and is in its th edition this year

$ational Football &eague $F + From 1223 to --

*ndian Super &eague *S 4 Finished its rst edition on 5616-15

7ockey *ndia &eague 7* + &aunched in -1 editions over, ne8t in

-19# )ro :abaddi &eague ): + *naugurated in -15 rst edition was a big

hit# ;orld :abaddi &eague ;: + &aunched in -15

*nternational )remier Tennis &eague 4 Finished its rst edition in


2/20

PRO-KAA!!I

:abaddi made its debut in !sian =ames in 122- and since then *ndia has

won it on each occasion. >n top of it *ndia has won the :abaddi ;orld %up onlast 9 occasions. !ccording to federation data there are ,255 :abaddi

leagues in *ndia.

)ro :abaddi is an initiative of ?ashal Sports, which is driven by )iyush

)andey >gilvy @ ?ather#, !nand ?ahindra ?ahindra @ ?ahindra#, "aAiv

&uthra &uthra @ &uthra &aw >Bces# and %haru Sharma *ndian

commentator, CuiDmaster and ?anaging


3/20

The league has taken our indigenous sport of :abaddi to new levels of

professionalism, benetted all stakeholders involved in the ecosystem of the

game and players have become role+models for the youth.

This bold and revolutionary step has highlighted the new, modern,

international and competitive face of :abaddi throughout the length andbreadth of the country.

The )ro :abaddi &eague has advanced the sportEs reputation and made it

reach in international circuits. *t has brought together *ndian and

international players, acclaimed *ndian personalities and sports authorities.

)ro :abaddi has set the ball rolling to make the sport visible, attractive,

professional, and remunerative and, for a large section of *ndiaEs athletic

youth, aspirational.

FOR"AT OF T#E LEAGUE

(ight+city league with games played on a home @ away basis.

(ach team played each other twice.

0 venues hosting 5 days of GhomeE team action.

?atches were played as per the current international rules and

regulations of the *: but with minute alterations, to enhance its appeal

on television.

AU$TIO%

7osted by the GTravelling =avelE 'ob 7ayton, who has over - years of

auctioning e8perience 'udget cap + "s 3- lakhs6franchise

Selection 5 players from %ategory ! 3 players from %ategory ' 1 player from %ategory % 1 player from domestic buHer area.

)layers participated I 23 *ndians , Foreign 5#!part from *ndia, players from Turkmenistan, *ran, Japan, South :orea,

)akistan, U:, )akistan, :enya, 'angladesh and Taiwan were a part of the

auction.

FRA%$#ISES


4/20

'engal ;arriors I :olkata :ishor 'iyani, Future =roup %hief#

'engaluru 'ulls I'engaluru :osmik =lobal ?edia#


5/20

*n $ovember -1 ST!" committed an investment of "s -,--- crore

to develop multiple sports culture in *ndia and ):& is one those

commitments to foster the same TL advertisements showed :abaddi in a new GavatarE all together.

&eague tuned into prime time slot after .- which brought the game

closer to viewers. )layers were interviewed in 7indi making them comfortable and

allowing the viewers to connect with them.

PRO"OTIO% "I'

PRO!U$T

=ame shifted from earth to synthetic mats mud to mat transition#

State of the art indoor stadiums + *nfrastructures were built to provide

facility for all the matches wherever the league travelled Specialists were hired from contact sport like rugby, bo8ing and

wrestling to create a good television e8perience 19 diHerent cameras were used to cover the picture from each and

every angle

M Ultra motion cameras to camera to capture the smallest details

%rane cameras for over head shots

Steady, hand held cameras to focus on the crowd

(dgy graphics were designed by an *sraeli company


6/20

*n depth statistical analysis was displayed on televisions to improve the

perception of the game being a serious sport and to engage more

viewers =ames of the rules were tweaked like only - seconds were given for a

raid )layers wore shirts which provided space for logos of sponsors

;hite electronic scoreboards were used

&ycra uniforms were used

7igh+grip shoes were provided to the players which gave the game a

modern look =ame was made televisual 4 )layers where bright outts ,enter the

arena with loud music pyrotechnics, plumes of smoke and colourful

strobe lighting

PLA$E &arge scale campaign strategies were made to attract viewers so that

they remove any pre conceived notions about the game

=ame was launched on multiple ST!" networks at prime time which

increased the number of users

Sports %hannelsI Star Sports and Star Sports 7< in (nglish

commentary ensured sports enthusiast remain glued with the game

(ntertainment channel while Star =old in 7indi commentary. This was

done to target the consumers who do not consume sports as

entertainment on a routinely basis.

The game was played in big cities which enabled to catch media

attention as well

PRI$E

$o direct costs associated with the consumption of entertainmentproducts on television therefore it is important to look at perceived

costs

! relatively economical game + a synthetic mat costs +5 lakhs

Shorter in duration thus it reduced the time associated with a viewer to

spend on a single match


7/20

The price of the ticket in the stadiums were kept low appr8

--6person# &eague was held in caravan formatE which allowed the management to

handle the tournament easily and lower down the costs

*naugural auction saw 5-.- lakhs being spent by all 0 franchisescombined

"akesh :umar 4 *ndia captain was picked by )atna )irates for 1.0

lakhs 4 three times his base price 5 lakhs# which was the highest

PRO"OTIO%

)an *ndia activation strategy was designed

?alls with ma8imum footfalls were targeted. =ame units were placed

inside the malls obstacles in shopping comple8# which allowed usersto e8perience the thrill of the game.

This introduced viewers to real time aspect of the game and created

curiosity among them which in turn increased the footfall in stadiums %elebrities like Salman :han, Shahrukh :han ,Sachin

Tendulkar,!mitabh 'achchan, !bhishek 'achchan, )riyanka %hopra,

!Aay beroi , created a theme song G


8/20


9/20

!IGITAL STRATEG&

SO$IAL "E!IA

Twitter handle (pro)a*addi and Facebook page ProKa*addi was

created where fans can follow the latest scores and engage on social

media interactions.

(verything was organic +$o ads, paid promotions, asking fans to re+

tweet ,no contests

)ro:abaddi twitter handle was also not being promoted on television

Strateg+

'uilding the buDD6momentum from before?ay# 1stmatch on 3th

July

)re game community building

%onstant key word monitoring and replying

"eplying to Cueries and regular re+tweeting

&ive tweeting the matches as they unfolded


10/20

%onstant engagement with fans and :abaddi enthusiasts pre+game

and on match day

%onstant engagement with teams, team owners, celebrities,

Aournalists, magaDines, sport enthusiasts , inOuencers

Signature Seles I shared by celebrities like !mitabh 'achchan,

Shahrukh :han, !amir :han, Sachin Tendulkar present in the stadiums

and their tweets about the e8perience added to the buDD around the

game.

OT#ER !IGITAL "E!IU"S

!n oBcial )ro+:abaddi website www.prokabaddi.comwas launched

?atches were streamed live on starsports.com

)aid application to watch matches and videos

USI%ESS "O!EL

>wner to spent 1+1.9 crore on team rights for 1- years

>wnerEs revenue will come from

Sponsorship Ticket Sales )riDe money

>wners shed appro8imately 9+3 crore which included salaries of the

players and their travel
http://www.prokabaddi.com/http://www.prokabaddi.com/


11/20

PRO KAA!!I - A SU$$ESS,,,

#& E SA& T#IS.

For the Sport/Pla+ers

)layers became household names and got the distinction theydeserved thus giving a brand image to the game + !nup :umar, "ahul

%haudhari, ?aninder Singh even when these players have won !sian

games they were earlier not known to the common masses# 7elped in nding new talent for *ndia "ahul %haudhariLiDag# , !Aay

Thakur'engaluru# and Surinder $ada?umbai# to name a few "ahul %haudhari 4 raider Telegu Titans says he is now getting marriage

proposals and daily --+5-- friend reCuests on Facebook :abaddi provided the lu8ury of endorsement deals to the players and

gave them the opportunity to earn in lakhs :abaddi the game of soil is making heroes out of sons of soil

!lready being compared with what :erry )acker did for cricket by

organiDing ;orld Series cricket and Sky Sports did with )remier league

in 122-

For the Sponsors/Associates

Shakti )umps sponsoring Jaipur )ink )anthers#I 7elped rm enhance

brand recognition in the rural areas says !nkit )atidar ,L) marketing .

%ustomers discuss the game in GchaupalsE held by their distribution

team Future =roup owns franchisee in 'engal Team#I organiDed :abaddi

matches outside 'ig 'aDar outlets which struck the chord with the

masses and increased footfalls. They even hope to break even in Aust

years

>n+air and on+ground integration with Fevicol displaying the line

GFevicol :i )akad, %hhootegi $ahinE was shown displayed on &(ver 2-R comments and reactions had a positive tone

9R conversations were initiated by women Series culmination day produced more than 9--- tweets

Tele1ision


13/20

1stday 4 million viewers tuned in to watch ):& T!? data#

>ver -- million watched in the rst 0 days

First 19 days I ):& 00 million viewers / *)& had 59 million viewers /

F*F! ;orld %up 12 million viewers *n day leagueI 59 million viewers tuned in to Star which is thrice

the number of people who watched F*F! ;orld %up -15 in *ndia *)& had 99 million thus on the basis of numbers :abaddi did became

*ndiaEs ndmost favorite sport 03.5 million tuned in to watch the nal match between Jaipur )ink

)anthers and ?umbaiEs U ?umba F*F! world cup nal 4 5.3 million

/;;( ;restlemania 4 . million / 7ockey ;orld %up nal+ 1-.5

million / ;imbeldon menEs nal 3.1 million#

The game of all genders6age groups I >ver 2R viewership wasfemales / R children thus breaking the stereotype that it was a male

dominated sport.

In words of Charu Sharma and Anand Mahindra brought Kabaddi

out of the shadows into the sunlight


14/20

PAT# OF SU$$ESS,,

The andwagon e2ect

Tapping into all the pro3otion strategies at once created a

*and wagon e2ect which got 1iewers to *e in1ol1ed with the

ga3e4

In1ol1e3ent o5 cele*rities and word o5 3outh pla+ed critical

role in helping reach sustaina*ilit+ and increase the reach

Ti3e

The league was launched during an away series of *ndian cricket

team thus not competing with *ndiaEs most popular game cricket.

Penetration

Star T6 has e7panded its 5ootprint to 3ore than 89 cities thus

Pro Ka*addi penetrated 5urther

$olla*oration with rural *rands li)e "ahindra and ig a0arwill added to the penetration o5 the ga3e

rand purpose

ith 3ore than :;< 3illion people li1ing : sport was not

enough thus there was a lot o5 space 5or other sports4


15/20

Identi=cation > targeting and repac)aging the sport in a wa+ so

that it appeals to the audience is the purpose o5 the *rand

Re?u1enating the @product 5ro3 the roots up

Synthetic mats, lycra uniforms, high+grip shoes @ electronic

scoreboards changed the rural Gbarefoot sportE forever

The high+adrenaline game needing athleticism and international rugby

cameramen have helped dramatiDe the action

rand properties

Strong visual @ sonic properties

&ogos @ identities of all 0 teams in the league

Tagline claimed to be GThe new face of :abaddiE which shed the belief

of :abaddi being an GoldE *ndian game

Inno1ati1e co33s that dra3ati0e the *rand idea

(ach team was owned or associated with big 'ollywood stars

Top stars @ business tycoons were guests at the matches, visibly

tweeting @ clicking seles during the games.

'randing @ communication was gladiatorial + *t appealed to young

males, dramatiDed the sportEs rougher, physical side @ featuring slick,

violent visuals.

%o FaigueB(nsured it got over Cuickly Aust like *)& days# thus the viewer

did not felt fatigued


16/20

eing IndianB*ndians are replacing the idea of being western as being cool

and becoming more comfortable with the idea of being *ndians and adapting

to indigenous platforms

Ka*addi as a ga3e

?ass following

&ow+cost sport

?ade it modern, can be scaled up.

Few rules Full+on contact sport that needs no eCuipment whatsoever

Short @ intense


17/20

)eople may still not be familiar with the rules of the game so

scrolling through the rules so that viewers get familiariDed will

come in handy. !lso constant tinkering with the game of the rules should be

avoided and ):& and *:F should have the same standard of rules

so that the viewer does not get confused

$reating icon For a sport to be successful one needs to have a role model6icon.

:abaddi should try to build that one role model ?eet the star campaign where few lucky get to meet a star player of

the team. "unning documentaries on a particular player will help in building

up his prole.

!ddition of social wel5are e7penditure *+ co3paniestowards

sports at both rural and national level will add to the growing

popularity and improve the sport further

(nsuring teams represent appropriate regionsI Tamil $adu and )unAab contribute the most number of players to

*ndian :abaddi but no teams from those regions were available. To keep a level playing eld for the fans teams from strategic

regions should also be Ooated in

$reati1it+ B Super'owl do not have an yearly auction so that interests in the

players is maintained and viewers are able to identify with their

players something on same grounds can be done here also


18/20

(ven with low price cost of the seats went empty during the

events thus itEs important to create a uniCue e8perience for the

viewers 'aseball is known for 7ot dogs and coke/ Football for its fantasy

games/ 'asketball for instant replays similarly ):& should try and

invent something new which will create fan e8perience , like give

artists acrobats, magicians# to showcase their talent in intervals

Getting Ad1ertisers/Sponsors Sponsors played a wait and watch game though their interest

kept increasing as the league progressed ):& should combine on ground and on air packages henceforth Franchises hopeful of breaking even by third year Liewership numbers and e8perience can add to the number of

sponsors ne8t season onwards

Sponsorship opportunities include buying space on Aerseys or

ground rights


19/20

REFERE%$ES

httpsI66twitter.com6)ro:abaddi

httpI66sportsrediscovered.com61216building+pro+kabaddi+league+bollywood+cricket

httpI66www.business+standard.com6article6companies6on+day+one+pro+kabaddi+league+a+hit+with+viewers+115-0--1991.html

httpI66www.sportskeeda.com6kabaddi6pro+kabaddi+league+gears+up+to+raid+global+kabaddi+talent+from+15+countries+in+auction

httpI66www.tellytrp.in6-156-26star+indias+bet+with+pro+kabaddi+league+second+edition+gets+a+thumbs+up.html

httpI66indiatoday.intoday.in6story6kabaddi+league+Aaipur+pink+panthers+abhishek+bachchan+anand+mahindra6160-29.html

httpsI66www.saddahaC.com6sports6prokabaddirevolution6from+rags+to+riches+indias+pro+kabaddi+league

httpI66nicheiima.wordpress.com6-156-261-6marketing+lessons+from+pro+

kabaddi+league6 httpI66www.eventfaCs.com6news6ef+-9116Star+Sports+promotes+)ro+

:abad+15-32590159.html httpI66businesstoday.intoday.in6story6pro+kabaddi+league+yet+to+strike+a+

chord+with+advertisers616-0590.html httpsI66www.google.co.in6url

sat@rctA@C@esrcs@sourceweb@cd9@cadrAa@uact0@ved-%JtS)u!SC8o&!


20/20

httpI66www.m8mindia.com6-156-06brands+like+mm+and+future+group+bet+on+pro+kabbadi+league+for+rural+push6

httpI66www.afaCs.com6news6story65199)ro+:abaddi+&eagueI+!+grand+opening

httpI66www.bbc.com6news6business+033-5

httpI66forbesindia.com6article6special6pro+kabaddi+a+strong+start+but+the+need+for+improvement603961

httpI66www.adgully.com6perspective+indian+sports+heading+to+a+league+of+leagues+phase+923.html

httpI66www.afaCs.com6news6story6513>n+the+ground+with+)ro+:abaddi

httpI66www.buDDoop.com6kabaddi6star+sports+winning+strategy+pro+kabaddi6

httpI66www.afaCs.com6news6story65155Star+Sports+ups+the+ante+with+)ro+:abaddi+&eague

httpI66www.afaCs.com6news6story65199)ro+:abaddi+&eagueI+!+grand+opening

httpI66www.afaCs.com6news6story6513-:abaddi+leaguesI+breathless+pace

httpI66wheresthesausage.typepad.com6myweblog6-156-26even+ancient+brands+can+be+reAuvenated.html

httpI66www.e8change5media.com69-30good+ratings+give+added+push+to+fevicol+association+with+pro+kabaddi+league.html

httpI66www.wsA.com6articles6what+is+kabaddi+new+league+draws+sellout+crowds+in+india+15-2-15

httpI66blogs.wsA.com6indiarealtime6-156-06-96in+pictures+indias+pro+kabaddi+league+teams+grapple+for+victory6

httpI66timesondia.indiatimes.com6sports6more+sports6others6%elebrities+draw+fans+to+sport+Study6articleshow659051.cms
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ports/more-sports/others/Celebrities-draw-fans-to-sport-Study/articleshow/45384721.cms

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Kabaddi League Analysis