Franchise based Ultimate Kho Kho League set to kickstart in September

It is a huge step for the game of Kho Kho after Sony Pictures signed a multi-year broadcasting deal.

India’s first ever franchised based Professional Kho Kho League is set to kick start in September this year and Sony Pictures Network India have acquired the broadcasting rights of the revamped version of the ancient India game.

The tournament was supposed to be held last year but unfortunately due to Covid-19 the tournament got postponed. However, the promoters believe to start the inaugural season this year itself.The commercial rights of the league have been acquired by Amit Burman, the Chairman of the Dabur Group in his personal capacity.

“I believe there is a huge potential to develop this home-grown sport into a professional league, with rising popularity of non-cricket sports in the country. I think the sport is well-suited for television and we plan to package it in a modern avatar with shorter duration and faster game play. It will be a high-octane television product that will revolutionise the sport and create a unique experience for the audience,” Burman stated as reported by Hindu Business Line.

Burman further stated that there are six teams in fray to participate in the inaugural edition and further said, “We have got a great response from stakeholders for picking up franchises in the league. The first season will have six teams which will be increased to eight teams by next year. There is a huge viewership base to tap into as this is an extremely popular traditional sport with a strong rural connect. Broadcast rights will be the key source of revenue for the franchises. We will also leverage on ticket sales, local sponsorships and merchandise sales.”

The player draft is scheduled in the upcoming months with the teams having a pool of more than 150  Indian players  based on their performance and score at the national level and recently concluded high-performance training camp in February earlier this year.

The tournament is set to be televised on Sony Sports Network as well as it will be streamed online on Sony Liv. The league will be telecasted in English, Hindi and other regional languages.

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