Ultimate Kho Kho appoints RISE Worldwide as league consultant
Premium- As part of the three-year agreement, RISE will work closely with the league to give the game a makeover and make it more viewer-friendly
NEW DELHI : Ultimate Kho Kho has signed Reliance-backed RISE Worldwide, an independent sports, lifestyle and entertainment company, as its league consultant and partner in broadcast production. It aims to re-brand and present one of the country's oldest sports as a visually engaging entity.
Ultimate Kho Kho is a collaboration between KKFI (an apex body of the sports in India) and Dabur India Ltd.’s Vice Chairman Amit Burman, to support the development of Kho Kho through professional structured league.
As part of the three-year agreement, RISE will work closely with the league to give the game a makeover and make it more viewer-friendly. It will help create standard operating procedures from the TV broadcast perspective in terms of presentation such as the look and feel of the game, duration of the game, grooming and training players and experts and sponsor integration.
The motive will be to build on all elements within the league and help develop the sport with exclusive enhancements.
Ultimate Kho Kho's CEO Tenzing Niyogi said, “Our emphasis is to bring forth Kho Kho’s new avatar and make it popular among the masses. We are delighted to welcome them on-board."
"The game changes within seconds in this sport... this partnership will put major emphasis on the versatility within the coverage and creativity in providing uniqueness to different segments in the broadcast. I am also confident that with the coming together of the two, Kho Kho is ready to take over India and the globe," he added.
James Rego head of broadcast at RISE, said “We are excited to partner with Ultimate Kho Kho and take the game, which has been played in rural India for centuries, to the world stage. Viewers would get to see the sport in a new avatar which will inspire youngsters and help grow the sport."
He added that the game is high on pace and strategy and the enhanced version of this game will make for an interesting, high-octane viewing experience through their production. He said they are committed to working closely with the team at Ultimate Kho Kho to make watching it a world-class experience.
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Last year, Ultimate Kho Kho had already roped in Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as its official broadcast partner and the league’s live action will be available on SPNI’s sports channels as well as on its OTT platform SonyLIV in regional languages.
The inaugural edition of the league is slated to take off later this year.
As per FICCI, the country's sports media and sponsorship industry touched about ₹95 billion in FY20 but will be growing at a slower pace to reach ₹150 billion by 2024. Sports-related employment agency Sporjo and FICCI said in their report that the industry grew at a CAGR of 14% till 2020.
The report added that the sports market in India in FY2020 was 0.1% of the country's GDP. The industry, between FY16 and FY20, has grown approximately 1.4 times corresponding to the CAGR of the Indian television advertising industry, it added. The report also noted the potential for further expansion as the contribution of the industry in India's GDP is lower than the global average of 0.5%.
One of the major factors for growth in the country's league ecosystem across different sports, an increase in consumption across TV and digital platforms, and an increase in government and private initiatives as being additional key drivers.
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