New Delhi: Followed by Pro Kabbadi League, Indian Super League was also declared a success as an aggregate of 429 million viewers (TAM data CS4+ extrapolated to the universe using a standard conversion factor) watched the inaugural Hero Indian Super League (ISL) football tournament live on their TV screens, making it the second most-watched sport in the country after cricket.
The league cut across demographic boundaries and captured the imagination of a diverse fanbase, with women and children accounting for 57 percent of the 429 million viewers.
The final played between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters, on 20th December, was watched by 57 million viewers, culminating the over two months long league.
The final, with an average TVT of 1418 among M 15+ ABC, registered as the highest rated match of the tournament, 11 percent higher than the opening match of the tournament.
Talking about the league’s success, Nita Ambani, Chairperson, IMG-Reliance said,”The success of Hero ISL is a realisation of a dream- the dream of a billion plus Indians to experience and embrace the beauty of football. ‘The Beautiful Game’ has successfully captured the imagination of people of India and we have experienced the joy of watching the birth of a footballing nation.”
With the success of inaugural seasons of both Pro Kabbadi League and ISL the Sports and Entertainment Industry marks 2014 as a golden year for Sports related entertainment in India that in turn expected to fuel the popularity and growth of non-cricketing sports in the country.
