Prime Volleyball League next up
All is set for Prime Volleyball League (PVL), a six team franchise-based tournament which is set to be launched in India soon. In line with top international leagues like the NBA, the tournament will operate with a model in which franchise owners are also stakeholders in the organisation of the league.
The first edition of PVL will feature six teams — Hyderabad Black Hawks, Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes and Ahmedabad Defenders.
The League will be telecast on the Sony Pictures Network and will be exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures.
Speaking about the development, PVL CEO Joy Bhattacharya said, “We have already seen the quality of talent in the country, our endeavour is to provide this talent the right kind of platform to grow. This kind of structure, where franchises are committed for the long term, gives the game an opportunity to grow in a sustained manner, and that is the best thing possible for Indian volleyball.”
“The League will shortly be announcing the dates for the auction and the schedule for the coming season,” he said, adding efforts were on to rope in foreign players.
Neville Bastawalla, Senior Vice President and Head — Marketing & On Air Promotions, sports channels at Sony Pictures Networks India, was upbeat about the event. “There is a huge appetite for volleyball in India and in fact it was among the most watched sports with 33.5 million viewers during the recent Tokyo Olympics on our network, even though there was no Indian participation. The high-octane action of the sport makes PVL a great addition to Sony’s sports portfolio. We are keen to work closely with the stakeholders of the league to build both the league and the sport with viewers in India,” he said.
“We are trying to create something that is consistent, player as well as franchise owners friendly. I am sure the economic model that we have built, will be replicated in other sports,” said Tuhin Mishra, Managing Director, Baseline Ventures India Pvt Ltd.