LAHORE – The riveting on-field action in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020has been matched by record-breaking numbers on the HBL PSL digitalplatforms as fans wholeheartedly embrace the full homecoming of the leaguein the opening week of the fifth edition of the prestigious league.
The numbers are greater than the earlier four seasons of the HBL PSLespecially the opening week of the tournament. The HBL PSL digitalplatforms (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok) are in anoverdrive with the consumption of world-class content produced by the HBLPSL digital team, said the information made available by the PakistanCricket Board here on Wednesday.
Seven matches were played in the opening week: Karachi’s National Stadiumhosted four fixtures including the opening ceremony and opening clashbetween defending champions Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United onThursday.
The first Karachi-leg concluded with a full-house National Stadium watchingthe absorbing clash between the home side Karachi Kings and Gladiatorswhich the Gladiators won in the final over.
Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium played host to three games including the Sundaylast over thriller between the home side Lahore Qalandars and United whichUnited won by one wicket after a sensational last wicket partnership. Arousing home crowd at the Gaddafi saw their side narrowly lose the match,but as always both home and away sides received the warmth of thesupporters.
The spellbinding action on field has been very well received by fans acrossthe globe especially in Pakistan while the off-field content produced andshared on HBL PSL platforms has also received unprecedented attention ofthe fans.
The HBL PSL 2020 anthem TayyarHain has broken previous records in terms ofdigital views in the opening week of the tournament. The league alsolaunched its official TikTok channel on 15 February which already hasmultiple viral videos. HBL PSL is the first league to have its own officialTikTok channel.
It is safe to say that with packed stadiums and millions of digital views,the HBL PSL has gripped the country in a cricket fever!Platform-wise breakdown of the HBL PSL digital numbers in the first week:
YouTube• 4 million+ views on the HBL PSL anthem so far. This anthem is thequickest to 4 million views and has added more subscribers than any otheranthem in the first three weeks of release.
• In the last seven days (starting from the opening ceremony day) up till26th Feb, the PSL official channel has aggregatedo Over 402 million impressions (169% increase)o 7.4 M Unique viewers (100% increase)o Over 30 million views (222% increase)o Total cumulative watch time of 2.2 Million Hours (166% increase)o 338K New Subscribers (111% increase)o Average views/viewer of 3.6 (44% increase)Facebook• 2.8 million Views (36% increase)• 1.9 million Engagement (48% Increase)• 62K New Followers added (150% Increase)
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Twitter & Instagram• 14.6 Million Impressions in last 4 weeks on Twitter (335% from previousfour weeks)• 57K New Followers added on Twitter• 419K Unique Accounts reached on Instagram (443% increase from previousweek)• 16.6 million Impressions on Instagram (25% increase from previous week)
TIKTOK• Since 15 February, the channel has amassed:o Over 12 million Viewso 1.2 million Likeso 187K Followerso The #TayyarHainChallenge, a mini-campaign to promote the anthem got over10 Million views alone.
The tournament resumes today with the first-ever HBL PSL match at theMultan Cricket Stadium, the 2017 edition champions Peshawar Zalmi take onthe hosts Multan Sultans, the match is set to start at 7pm local time.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will then host it’s first-ever HBL PSL match byhosting the Gladiators and United in a re-match of the Thursday clash atthe NSK.
Multan Sultans will then host Karachi Kings in a clash on Friday, 28February, while the last match at the venue will be played on 29 Februarywith the hosts taking on the Gladiators.
Rawalpindi will host Zalmi and Qalandars on 28 February, while the homeside United will take on Zalmi in the night fixture to be played on 29February.
The league phase will continue from 1 to 15 March before the commencementof the play-offs with the Qualifier at the National Stadium on 17 March.The final will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium on 22 March.
