MUMBAI: Football fever is going strong in India with the seventh edition of the Hero ISL currently underway. As the first major live sporting league played in the country post the onset of Covid2019, the Hero ISL has logged a significant growth trajectory with a 16 per cent spike in viewership in the opening week (first eight matches), as compared to the previous season. The growth is universally seen across markets – HSM 18 per cent, south 14 per cent.
Hero ISL returned on 20 November in a new 11 team avatar, raising the competition a notch higher. The highly-anticipated Kolkata Derby between SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan debuted on 27 November and recorded the highest viewership for the legendary rivalry match. In fact, it’s 10X the viewership this fixture garnered in the Hero I-League in January 2020 at an all-India level.
“We are thrilled to deliver a blockbuster opening week of the Hero ISL 2020-21. After a successful Dream11 IPL 2020, we laid emphasis on an enhanced viewing experience for football by stressing on product innovations, improved story-telling and fan engagement. We hope to maintain the momentum and build on the gains in viewership in Week 1. Hero ISL 2020-21 has also set the precedence for other sporting events to resume in India by following the highest safety standards,” Star India head sports Sanjog Gupta said.
Acknowledging fandom across the globe, Hero ISL 2020-21 is being live broadcast in 83 countries across TV and digital platforms. Star India, the official broadcast partner in India, airs the tournament in seven languages and fans can also catch the action live on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and JioTV.
Star Sports and FSDL introduced a series of exciting technological innovations this year to give fans the opportunity to engage with their favourite clubs and players from the comfort of their homes. The addition of a dedicated live Fan Wall raises the excitement a notch higher to help viewers celebrate important moments with their favourite team and heroes. The two LED screens feature fans from the home team and the away team, thus amplifying the rivalry virtually to enhance the viewing experience.
