Indian hockey, once a powerhouse of the world game, has been looking down the barrel for decades now. However, with the advent of Hero Hockey India League (HHIL), fans have begun to see a sliver of hope.
The tournament, which features some of the world's finest players and is due to wrap up on February 10, is being telecast in 83 territories worldwide. It has put Indian hockey back in the global big league.
According to ESPN, the official broadcaster of HIL, a comprehensive line-up of global syndication partners are showcasing the first edition of the league in these many territories. Some leading names in the world of sports broadcasting like Fox Sports from Australia, Sky Sports from New Zealand, Ten Sports in Pakistan and southeast Asia and MENA region are covering HHIL live in the territories.
According to Aloke Malik, managing director, ESPN Software India, “These partnerships reinforce our commitment to set new benchmarks in the distribution of Hero Hockey India League. We look forward to working closely with all our partners and serve hockey fans all over the world with some mouth-watering high quality content.”
If Indian hockey is reemerging, the top bosses of Indian hockey will certainly love to take the credit. Dr Narinder Batra, chairman, Hero Hockey India League, said, “We are delighted to have a strong and committed broadcast partner. It is great to know that the first edition of the league can be seen by hockey fans across the world. We are confident that the popularity of the league and the game of hockey per se will greatly benefit from these international distribution tie-ups.”
Successes of HHIL
l HHIL’s broadcast in India, at the end of Week 2, has been seen by 2.27 crore hockey fans, way more than the full tournament reach of UEFA Euro 2012, which stood at 2.04 crore.
l HHIL’s reach is almost four times that of the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy, which had a full tournament reach of 58 lakh. l HHIL’s reach is considerably higher than that of World Series Hockey, which stood at 1.24 crore individuals at the end of Week 2. l Even on the digital front, HHIL has achieved considerable success. HHIL's Facebook page has attracted more than 410,000 fans, making it the world’s largest field hockey Facebook page. l On Twitter, HHIL has trended multiple times not just in India but also in countries like the US.
HIL began with a bang. In its first week, close to 1.5 crore people watched the league. At 1.46 crore, HIL was 1.7 times UEFA Euro 2012's reach for the first six matches.
It garnered 24 times the average weekly reach of I-league. Within the first week, HIL overtook the tournament reach of the recently concluded 2012 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy. The first week TV viewership was more than double of what World Series Hockey could deliver in the first week last year. The figures released by the official broadcaster back the claims it made before HIL began.
HIL has the sanction of the international body, International Hockey Federation (FIH). To make it a global league, players from 11 countries are rubbing shoulders with each other. The league marks a giant leap for Indian hockey.
Indian fans saw a new avatar of Indian hockey when the inaugural match was played between Delhi Waveriders and Jaypee Punjab Warriors at National Stadium, Delhi.
HIL, a five-team franchise-based league, could in the long run revive a slowly decaying Indian hockey. After India missed a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then finished at the bottom in London last year, hockey administrators in this country were at their tether's end.
But gradually, over the last couple of tournaments, the young and enigmatic Sardar Singh is showing glimpses of India's past prowess and with a new professional league now in place the game could see a dramatic turnaround.
Unlike the rival World Series Hockey, 120 hockey players – including the best from India and the world – are participating in HIL. In an auction that was held along the lines to the Indian Premier League, India captain Sardar fetched the highest price. He was grabbed by Delhi for USD 78,000. India vice-captain and ace drag-flicker VR Raghunath was bought by Uttar Pradesh for USD 76,000, Australian star Jamie Dwyer went to Punjab for USD 60,000, Fuertse was taken by Ranchi for USD 75,500 and Nooijer was sold to Uttar Pradesh Wizards for USD 66,000.
The tournament – 34 matches spread over 28 days – has already given a huge opportunity to many young players from India and abroad but the organisers will have to increase the pool of players and improve overall standards.
In a cricket-crazy country, the HIL TV ratings have been extremely encouraging. When eight years ago the Premier Hockey League was started, no one would have imagined that one day an Indian hockey league would hit the headlines worldwide.
The best thing for the league is that players like Sandeep Singh and Tushar Khandker, who were dumped from the Indian team, are proving their mettle.
The tournament, which features some of the world's finest players and is due to wrap up on February 10, is being telecast in 83 territories worldwide. It has put Indian hockey back in the global big league.
According to ESPN, the official broadcaster of HIL, a comprehensive line-up of global syndication partners are showcasing the first edition of the league in these many territories. Some leading names in the world of sports broadcasting like Fox Sports from Australia, Sky Sports from New Zealand, Ten Sports in Pakistan and southeast Asia and MENA region are covering HHIL live in the territories.
According to Aloke Malik, managing director, ESPN Software India, “These partnerships reinforce our commitment to set new benchmarks in the distribution of Hero Hockey India League. We look forward to working closely with all our partners and serve hockey fans all over the world with some mouth-watering high quality content.”
If Indian hockey is reemerging, the top bosses of Indian hockey will certainly love to take the credit. Dr Narinder Batra, chairman, Hero Hockey India League, said, “We are delighted to have a strong and committed broadcast partner. It is great to know that the first edition of the league can be seen by hockey fans across the world. We are confident that the popularity of the league and the game of hockey per se will greatly benefit from these international distribution tie-ups.”
Successes of HHIL
l HHIL’s broadcast in India, at the end of Week 2, has been seen by 2.27 crore hockey fans, way more than the full tournament reach of UEFA Euro 2012, which stood at 2.04 crore.
l HHIL’s reach is almost four times that of the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy, which had a full tournament reach of 58 lakh. l HHIL’s reach is considerably higher than that of World Series Hockey, which stood at 1.24 crore individuals at the end of Week 2. l Even on the digital front, HHIL has achieved considerable success. HHIL's Facebook page has attracted more than 410,000 fans, making it the world’s largest field hockey Facebook page. l On Twitter, HHIL has trended multiple times not just in India but also in countries like the US.
HIL began with a bang. In its first week, close to 1.5 crore people watched the league. At 1.46 crore, HIL was 1.7 times UEFA Euro 2012's reach for the first six matches.
It garnered 24 times the average weekly reach of I-league. Within the first week, HIL overtook the tournament reach of the recently concluded 2012 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy. The first week TV viewership was more than double of what World Series Hockey could deliver in the first week last year. The figures released by the official broadcaster back the claims it made before HIL began.
HIL has the sanction of the international body, International Hockey Federation (FIH). To make it a global league, players from 11 countries are rubbing shoulders with each other. The league marks a giant leap for Indian hockey.
Indian fans saw a new avatar of Indian hockey when the inaugural match was played between Delhi Waveriders and Jaypee Punjab Warriors at National Stadium, Delhi.
HIL, a five-team franchise-based league, could in the long run revive a slowly decaying Indian hockey. After India missed a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then finished at the bottom in London last year, hockey administrators in this country were at their tether's end.
But gradually, over the last couple of tournaments, the young and enigmatic Sardar Singh is showing glimpses of India's past prowess and with a new professional league now in place the game could see a dramatic turnaround.
Unlike the rival World Series Hockey, 120 hockey players – including the best from India and the world – are participating in HIL. In an auction that was held along the lines to the Indian Premier League, India captain Sardar fetched the highest price. He was grabbed by Delhi for USD 78,000. India vice-captain and ace drag-flicker VR Raghunath was bought by Uttar Pradesh for USD 76,000, Australian star Jamie Dwyer went to Punjab for USD 60,000, Fuertse was taken by Ranchi for USD 75,500 and Nooijer was sold to Uttar Pradesh Wizards for USD 66,000.
The tournament – 34 matches spread over 28 days – has already given a huge opportunity to many young players from India and abroad but the organisers will have to increase the pool of players and improve overall standards.
In a cricket-crazy country, the HIL TV ratings have been extremely encouraging. When eight years ago the Premier Hockey League was started, no one would have imagined that one day an Indian hockey league would hit the headlines worldwide.
The best thing for the league is that players like Sandeep Singh and Tushar Khandker, who were dumped from the Indian team, are proving their mettle.
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