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After hockey, badminton and kabbadi, it is time for free-style wrestling to get a league of its own, mopping up both sponsorship and ticketing revenues.
ProSportify Pvt Ltd, the co-promoter of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), expects to get revenues of ₹22 crore in the first year. The company is targeting both male and female enthusiasts of the sport.
Vishal Gurnani, Director, ProSportify, told BusinessLine : “We see immense potential in the IP we have created. Wrestling has huge popularity among masses and we see the combat sport becoming a crowd puller. Unlike the ones popularised by the Western media, the PWL will be real action and not scripted fights.”
Corporates such as GMR Group, JSW Group, Lotus Greens, Maverick Industries, Mafatlal, Garudacharya and Bollywood veteran Dharmendra have invested in the league.
The PWL, a joint venture of the Wrestling Federation of India and ProSportify, has attracted ₹11 crore in player bids, said Gurnani. The Hero Indian Super League, the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League and the Hero Hockey India League saw similar investments in players.
Six franchisesPWL is expecting revenues from both ticketing and sponsorships, added Gurnani. “While sponsorship will be a bulk of revenues, ticketing will be close. We have kept the ticket prices at ₹150-1,000,” he said, adding the company has spent about ₹38-40 crore in promoting the game.
The revenue generation for the six franchises will be largely from sponsorships. Besides, all the teams will get 60 per cent of the revenue from the central sponsorship pool, and the balance from sale of media rights and ticket sales.
Touted as Olympic style wrestling, the PWL will be held December 10-27 and feature 18 matches.
The company has roped in Reliance Broadcast Network-owned Big FM as its radio partner. Said Tarun Katial, CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network: “Our RJs will work towards bringing the action live from the venue by giving a peak into the lives of the wrestlers.” 92.7 BIG has a presence across 45 cities and a weekly audience size of .2 crore across the country.
In the Indian subcontinent, the league’s Season 1 will be broadcast on Sony Max, Sony Six and Sony Pal, with promotional support from the entire Sony Network.
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