ISLAMABAD - HBL PSL is Pakistan’s favorite cricket event when cricket fans turn to their nearest screen to keep up with the action, and these days that means the one in their pocket—their mobile phone.
This year, with matches being live-streamed on YouTube on the new official Cricket Gateway PK channel link, it’s even easier to stay up to speed on every wicket. With over 10 million views (all platforms combined) in just 5 matches, HBL PSL season 4 has been setting new livestream record, with Pakistan’s favorite rivalry (Karachi Kings vs. Lahore Qalandars) grossing 1.48 million views in one match alone, peaking at over 200,000 concurrent viewers on YouTube alone.
All this engaged viewership represents a great opportunity for brands to share relevant messages and, like last year, Pepsi, ABL, UL, RB, and more than 20 other brands ran ads. First-time brands for this year include Jazz, Telenor, P&G, Telenor Bank, and the DWP group.
“With millions of cricket fans tuning in on their mobile devices and Smart TVs, the live stream on YouTube is an ideal opportunity for brands to reach a highly engaged audience. The future of spectator sports and online advertising in Pakistan are very closely intertwined and brands should not miss out,” said Farhan Qureshi – Head of South Asia Markets, Google Asia Pacific.
Other livestream partners include Tapmad.com, Goonj.pk, Crick Wick, Jazz TV and JazzTube. With ad insertions unified at the country level, ads are delivered simultaneously at each authorized location, with streams being scanned for copyrighted content and over 4500 pirated beams banned within the first 5 matches.
On the nationwide success of HBLPSL Season 4 Internet livestream, AhsenIdris, CEO Blitz Advertising, commented:
“The HBLPSL is Pakistan’s crown Jewel of Sports Entertainment. Combining it with the engaged audience of YouTube and our valued beam partners, we are committed towards ensuring that there isn’t a single internet household in Pakistan that will not have access to this content.
When you put Pakistan’s best content and its biggest viewership platform together on one plate, our valued advertisers get nothing less than the best. I wouldn’t be surprised if this product matures into a 100 million viewership product within consecutive seasons.”
We would once again like to thank the PCB, our JV partners TransGroup, ITW and Techfront, YouTube, our stream partners, and most importantly – our valued clients, whose faith in brand Pakistan has helped make this success possible, 4 years in a row.
Our strategy, as always, is to make Pakistan’s crown jewel an ‘all-inclusive’ event, where all the premium brands of Pakistan come together and make their presence felt on the local AND international sports entertainment landscape.”