Hockey India League achieves record 1 Billion+ digital engagement & huge rise in broadcast viewership

Hockey India League witnessed strong surge in TV viewership, registering 37 % increase for first six women’s matches compared to last year.

The Hockey India League (HIL) has achieved a landmark milestone by crossing 1 billion social media views in just over two weeks since the start of the current season, across platforms including Meta (Instagram and Facebook), YouTube and X.

With two more weeks of action still to come and the Men’s HIL entering the business end of the tournament, these numbers are expected to rise even further.

In comparison, the previous season saw the league’s overall social media viewership touch 1 billion views across the entire tournament, highlighting the scale and speed of growth this season.

This sharp rise clearly reflects the growing appetite for hockey in India and the sport’s increasing connect with digital-first audiences.

The 2025–26 season began on 28 December with the Women’s Hero HIL, which concluded with a thrilling final on 10 January, where SG Pipers emerged as champions.

The Men’s Hero HIL commenced on 3 January in Chennai and has now moved into its second phase in Ranchi, with several high-voltage matches still to be played.

Marking a new trend for the sport in the country, broadcast viewership has also seen a significant uptick. After the first six matches, the Hero Hockey India League recorded a remarkable 37 per cent increase in TV viewership compared to the same stage last season, underlining hockey’s growing resonance with Indian television audiences.

Adding to this momentum, the HIL Governing Council made a strategic decision to grow its official YouTube channel by live-streaming matches on the platform, instead of partnering with an OTT service.

This move has delivered strong results, with the Hero HIL YouTube channel recording over 80 million views in the last 28 days, while total watch time has crossed 355,400 hours during the same period.

Also Read: ‘We did not want to give up until last minute’ – Navneet Kaur on leading SG Pipers to Women’s HIL 2025–26 title

The league’s YouTube viewership has come from across the globe, with top audiences from Argentina, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Africa, the Netherlands, Spain and New Zealand.

Notably, 33 percent of viewers fall within the 25–34 age group, while over 20 per cent are aged between 18 and 24, reinforcing HIL’s strong appeal among younger audiences.

This unprecedented digital reach and substantial growth in viewership are a testament to the robust marketing and fan engagement strategy implemented by the Hockey India League this season.

A comprehensive 360-degree marketing approach ensured the league reached audiences across both offline and online platforms.

These efforts have resulted in over 1 billion views of HIL content in just a few weeks, making it one of the most successful digital seasons in the league’s history.

“With several matches still remaining in the current season, the Hockey India League is confident that viewership and fan engagement will continue to grow. We thank our fans, partners, players and broadcasters for their continued support in making this season a historic success,” said HIL Governing Council Chairman Dr Dilip Tirkey.

Shri Bhola Nath Singh added, “There is still a lot of action to come with the Men’s Hero HIL entering its final phase, and we look forward to these numbers growing even further.”

All matches of the Hero Hockey India League will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports. The matches will also be live-streamed on Waves and the Hockey India League YouTube channel.

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