India’s RuPay Prime Volleyball League’s second season a major success with TV viewership of 206 million

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League (PVL), India’s top professional volleyball league, has achieved phenomenal success, having witnessed incredible growth in viewership, engagement and social media reach in only its second season.

TV viewership increased by a staggering 55%, with a colossal 206 million people tuning in to watch the matches throughout the season. The league's exciting performances, nail-biting finishes, and intense rivalries were a huge hit among the viewers, as were the innovative league format and competition rules.

Social media reach nearly doubled to 92 million, with a fivefold increase in engagement to 5.1 million as the league’s social media channels saw unprecedented growth. Social media impressions grew by a massive 876% to 571 million, while views soared by 849% to 113.9 million.

One of the key factors that contributed to the success of the season was Indian club volleyball going global in 2022. The RuPay PVL, powered by A23, signed a multi-year deal with the leading global volleyball streaming service, Volleyball World, as International Streaming Partners. Along with existing host broadcast partners, Sony Sports Network, who broadcast season 2 of the PVL on the Indian sub-continent, the entire season was available on Volleyball World globally as the world embraced the innovative, eight-team league.

Among the league’s innovations include the format of five sets of 15 points and the Super Point, whereby every set, each team can call for a Super Point which offers them a chance to double their points, with the risk of giving away two points to the opposition. Another notable concept is the Super Serve, where serving an ace that sees the ball land on the floor without touching any of the opponent’s players earns the serving team two points.

The PVL is fast emerging as one of India’s premier sports events and the popularity of volleyball is skyrocketing in the country as the league continues to excite audiences. A hallmark of volleyball worldwide, the PVL also drew equal interest from female audiences with the gender ratio between male and female TV viewers being 58:42. The league is co-owned and exclusively marketed by India’s leading sports marketing firm, Baseline Ventures.

A high-level FIVB delegation attended the Finals of the PVL in early March as part of a wider visit to India to discuss the country’s huge volleyball potential with various stakeholders.

FIVB General Director Fabio Azevedo, Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor and FIVB Technical and Development Department Head Steve Tutton attended the Finals of the PVL

FIVB General Director Fabio Azevedo said:

“The success of the second season of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the league.

“These numbers are proof that the sky is the limit when it comes to volleyball in India, and we are committed to supporting its growth and development. With a population of over 1.4 billion, a love for the sport and an abundance of talent, India has all the ingredients to be an international volleyball powerhouse. We look forward to working together with various stakeholders in the country to help India in fulfilling its volleyball potential.”

With the PVL’s continued partnership with Volleyball World and the FIVB’s wider commitment to investing in the development of Indian volleyball, the league and volleyball are poised to continue growing and developing in the country for years to come.