They have acquired Mumbai Meteors, the eighth franchise in the league. They have appointed former Indian national volleyball captain Abhijit Bhattacharya as the general manager of the enterprise.
Nigam said, “As a regular volleyball player, I have a very good understanding of how exciting the game can be. And PVL gives us the perfect opportunity to take this sport to the world level in a professional manner.”
While the league is not supported by the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI), it is recognized by the global body, FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball).
Recently, FIVB’s business arm, Volleyball World, has joined a multi-year consortium as PVL’s international streaming partner.
Joy Bhattacharya, CEO of Prime Volleyball League, said, “It is exciting to see highly respected corporate leaders not only showing their support for the sport but supporting the business model that we have worked so hard to build.”
The inaugural session of the PVL was held in February this year, and the second session is expected to begin in early 2023.
“The Indian sports ecosystem is an exciting place, with a lot of room for growth, especially in the non-cricket sector. PVL is a great opportunity to work and contribute in this area,” Chari said.
In the inaugural season, the league, which is co-promoted and marketed by Baseline Ventures, had a total TV viewership of 133 million, with a choice of English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam commentary. According to Baseline Ventures, the league has managed to reach over 84 million fans across India, along with over 5 million audience engagements through various digital platforms.
Sony Sports Network is the host broadcaster of the league, sponsored by RuPay and A23.
Other franchise owners include Thomas Muthoot of Kochi Blue Spikers, Praveen Choudhary of Ahmedabad Defenders, Safer PT of Calicut Heroes and Ankit Nagori of Bengaluru Torpedoes.
The operating structure of the PVL is similar to that of the NBA (National Basketball Association), Major League Soccer and other American sports leagues, where the team owners are also stakeholders in the respective leagues.
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