Kabaddi has never relied on spectacle to earn loyalty. Rooted in culture and community, it has commanded attention through familiarity and shared identity. What it has discovered now is scale, and with it, commercial consequence.
As the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) has entered Season 2 with 12 franchise teams, the league has moved from promise to platform, positioning itself as a structured regional media ecosystem offering brands reach with relevance and engagement with intent. Running from December 24 to January 10, the season has reflected UPKL’s focus on sustained visibility rather than momentary spikes.
Participating in this conversation is Sambhav Jain, Founder and Director of SJ Uplift Kabaddi, who has outlined how UPKL has been aligning culture, content, and commerce to unlock measurable brand value. In a market that has increasingly looked beyond cluttered national leagues, UPKL has made a compelling case for why regional sport has become a serious media and marketing proposition.
Here are the excerpts from the conversation.
Q1. Season 2 of the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League has expanded to 12 franchise teams. From a marketing perspective, how does this scale enhance the league’s appeal to advertisers and brands compared with the first season?
The expansion to 12 franchise teams marks a fundamental shift in how UPKL functions as a marketing platform. Season 1 was about establishing credibility; Season 2 is about unlocking true commercial depth.
Each new franchise brings its own regional identity, local fan base, and market nuances, collectively expanding UPKL’s footprint across Uttar Pradesh. For advertisers, this creates the rare ability to execute both state-wide and hyper-local campaigns within a single league ecosystem.
Brands are no longer confined to blanket visibility. They can now tailor messaging by geography, team affiliation, and audience profile. More teams also mean a denser match calendar, translating into increased inventory, frequency, and richer storytelling opportunities. From a marketing lens, UPKL has evolved from a promising sports property into a multi-market regional media network.
Q2. Regional sports properties are increasingly being evaluated as media platforms. How are you positioning UPKL’s audience reach and engagement to attract brand investments alongside other sports and entertainment options?
We consciously position UPKL as a content-driven regional media platform, not just a sporting event. Kabaddi commands deep emotional engagement because it is culturally familiar and community-led. When packaged with professional broadcast quality and structured storytelling, it delivers attention spans that often outperform generic entertainment programming.
Unlike scripted content, live sport offers repeat viewing, appointment-based consumption, and organic digital conversations. UPKL sits at the intersection of sport, culture, and entertainment, allowing brands to participate in an unfolding narrative rather than simply buying media space.
For marketers weighing options, UPKL offers something increasingly scarce: high engagement, regional relevance, and brand-safe content, at scale.
Q3. From an advertising standpoint, what are the projected viewership numbers for Season 2, and what growth targets are you aiming to achieve compared with Season 1?
For Season 2, we are targeting approximately 30 million television viewers and close to 300 million digital impressions across platforms. This growth is driven by wider Zee network distribution, expanded franchises, and stronger digital amplification.
However, reach alone is not our sole success metric. We place equal emphasis on engagement, average watch time, repeat viewership, multi-platform consumption, and fan interaction across digital and on-ground touchpoints. Season 2 is designed to convert casual viewers into loyal followers, and loyal followers into brand-engaged audiences.
Q4. With broadcast, ticketing, and cinema partnerships in place this season, how have you structured the media mix?
Season 2 follows a carefully integrated media mix. Broadcast television remains the primary driver of reach, led by Zee Bollywood, &Pictures HD, and Zee Anmol 2.
Digital and OTT platforms play a strong supporting role through ZEE5, social amplification, and short-form content. Ticketing via Live Your City by Fever is equally critical, converting awareness into physical attendance while enabling data-led fan outreach, city-wise targeting, and seamless integration between digital discovery and matchday experience.
Q5. This season has attracted new sponsors. Which advertiser categories are showing the strongest interest in UPKL?
Season 2 has seen a clear rise in brand participation, particularly across FMCG, regional consumer brands, lifestyle, services, and youth-focused categories.
The three-year broadcast association has been instrumental here. Brands are no longer viewing UPKL as a short-term visibility play; they see it as a platform they can grow alongside. This shift, from tactical sponsorships to strategic partnerships, is one of the most significant commercial outcomes of Season 2.
Q6. ROI is a key concern for marketers today. How are you enabling sponsors to measure effectiveness?
ROI is central to how UPKL designs partnerships. Sponsors receive transparent metrics across broadcast exposure, digital impressions, engagement rates, and on-ground visibility.
What truly differentiates UPKL is its regional structure. Brands can measure impact at city and state levels, something national leagues often struggle to offer. With defined markets and ticketing data from Live Your City by Fever, ROI assessment becomes more actionable, precise, and meaningful.
Q7. What insights are emerging around UPKL’s audience profile, and how are these shaping conversations with lifestyle and consumer brands?
UPKL’s audience has evolved into a balanced and inclusive mix. While male viewers form the core, female viewership and family co-viewing account for a significant share. This makes UPKL more family-oriented than many traditionally male-skewed sports properties.
These insights have opened doors with lifestyle, household, and consumer brands seeking shared viewing environments. Kabaddi’s simplicity and cultural familiarity make it accessible across age groups, significantly broadening its marketing appeal.
Q8. Ad spends for Season 2 appear to have increased. How is the budget being deployed, and what impact do you anticipate?
While ad spending has increased, the more important change lies in deployment. Broadcast partnerships improve efficiency, while digital and cinema placements enhance frequency and recall.
This integrated approach is designed to deliver stronger brand recall than Season 1, through sustained presence rather than fragmented bursts. Ticketing integrations further close the loop by linking promotions to real-world conversions, moving beyond impressions to tangible consumer action.
Q9. In a market dominated by large national leagues, how does UPKL position itself as a more efficient option for advertisers?
UPKL positions itself as a precision marketing platform. For brands targeting Uttar Pradesh and Hindi-speaking markets, it offers deeper relevance at a more efficient cost than national leagues.
Lower clutter, stronger cultural resonance, and sharper regional targeting translate into higher recall efficiency. UPKL does not compete with national leagues, it complements them by delivering focused impact where it matters most.
Q10. Looking ahead, how do you see regional leagues shaping India’s sports marketing ecosystem?
Regional leagues will define the next phase of sports marketing in India. As brands look beyond cricket and metros, they are seeking authenticity, loyalty, and scalability. UPKL demonstrates that regional leagues can deliver all three while building sustainable franchise value and long-term fan bases.
This evolution will create a more balanced sporting ecosystem, one where multiple leagues coexist, serving distinct audiences and objectives. That diversification is not just good for brands; it is essential for the future of Indian sport.
Co-authored by Masaba Naqvi & Tanishka Tyagi.
