In '14, Season 1 of the Pro Kabaddi League had no sponsors, according to Nikita Rana of FIRST POST. Season 5, which began on Friday, has nine. Title sponsor Vivo reportedly signed a Rs 300 crore ($45M) deal for five years with the league. Associate sponsors -- Gillette, TVS Motors, Association of Mutual Funds of India, Bajaj Electricals, Indo Nissin, Lux Cozi, Castrol and USL have paid from Rs 12-15 crore ($1.8M-$2.2M) each, according to industry sources. Star India EVP Anil Jayaraj said, "Kabaddi has been clearly established as the number two sport in the country after cricket." With 10-second spots selling at an average of 1.5 lakhs ($2,340), media buyers said that the rates are only lower than Indian Premier League and Kapil Sharma’s show. Each match has about 3,000 seconds of inventory, and with more than 50% of the inventory sold, Star India is "already in a good place." TVS Motor Company VP of Marketing Aniruddha Haldar said that kabaddi captures the “sweet spot between the classes and masses.” The competition's sponsorship revenue is up by 320% from a "slew of new advertisers," with 12 teams competing for Rs 8 crore ($1.2M) worth of prize money. While Star India has "managed to make its money this time around," the teams are not "flush with cash yet." Out of 12 teams, "only a few seem to have cash sponsors." Bengal Warriors CEO Sandip Tarkas said, "People haven't fully realized the exposure the sport has. In many small towns, the reach is in fact more than IPL" (FIRST POST, 7/29).
