Hero ISL 2016 watched by 216 million viewers in India

Last year the event's viewership stood at 207 million

The season finale of the Hero Indian Super League 2016 saw 54,000 people attending the event at the stadium in Kochi and another 41 million fans tuning in on television sets to follow the clash between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters FC.

Star India, the official broadcaster and co-promoter of the league, revealed that the league saw an increase of 41 per cent in viewership as compared to previous year's final match. 

The ISL was reportedly also the most watched televised sport event of the year in Kerala. The season finale overshadowed viewership figures of major sporting events including the T20 cricket World Cup semi-finals between India and West Indies India-West Indies in 2016, the Euro 2016 final and FIFA World Cup final of 2014. Similarly, the viewership in West Bengal beat viewership record of even the IPL- 9 finals.

Hero ISL received, in its third edition, a total viewership of 216 million as compared to around 207 million last year.

One of the highlights of the season was the sharp increase in rural India viewership registering a cumulative figure of 101 million, indicating the widespread appeal of the sport. Furthermore, key metro markets like Mumbai and Chennai emerged as one of the top performers this season recording a surge of more than 50 per cent over last year along with a cumulative 20 per cent spike in viewership in Tamil Nadu. 

This demonstrates the growth of the sport beyond the traditional bastions of football. This, combined with the numbers of the rural region is indicative of the growing penetration of Hero ISL across all belts in India.

Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Football Sports Development Limited said, "The overwhelming response from fans is a testament to the vision we have for the league and it reaffirms our faith that the Indian football is moving in the right direction. The response from newer markets like Tamil Nadu and Mumbai and further growth in established markets like West Bengal and Kerala shows the appetite for the sport. Stadium attendance, viewership numbers and growth on the digital platform this season further encourages us to reset our benchmark for the season ahead."

This season recorded a surge of over 25 per cent in overall viewer engagement as compared to ISL 2015. This year's edition saw total "watchtime" double on Hotstar and Jio platforms.

Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India said, "The kick-off to the Hero ISL in 2014 signified the birth of a footballing nation. This is a long term journey. However, we are encouraged by the incredible fan affinity and increase in following in a short span of three years. We had dreamt of the day when Indian footballers would emerge as sporting heroes and this season has seen many new stars emerge. Further the quality of play and the multi-lingual, high-quality broadcast content has delivered record engagement levels among fans. The deeper penetration of the league in rrban and rural India and the explosive growth of digital consumption augurs well for the future of football in India."