Indian Super League emerges as second-most searched sports league in India

Mumbai, Dec 29 (IANS) The 202o2-23 season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has emerged as the second-most searched sports league in India, according to the top search engine Google.

The league, which has already taken the scene by storm with some thrilling and edge-of-the-seat action on the pitch, featured in the top-10 searches on google in India amongst all categories, sixth in the overall sports category and second amongst all Indian sports leagues in the country after the Indian Premier League.

As noted by Google in its year-end report for 2022, these numbers have been achieved with marquee global tournaments being hosted during the same time, including the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup.

This is a testament to the country's growing engagement with Indian football, the league said in a release on Thursday.

From featuring in the top 10 searches on Google in India to roping in a bigger audience on social media platforms, the Hero ISL has registered impressive engagement numbers offering a variety of content over the past year.

The ISL digital platforms have also reaffirmed these trends. At the halfway point of the 2022-23 season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), the league has recorded a rapid spike of 2x in digital engagements as compared to previous years. Across social media, the Hero ISL is now followed by 8.73 million fans with video views and social engagements in comparison to a similar point in the 2021-22 season have grown by 2x clocking 343 million views and 107 million respectively, the organisers of the league informed in a release on Thursday.

Commenting on the trend, an ISL Spokesperson said, "We are humbled by the increasing interest and excitement shown by our Hero ISL fans. The social media numbers further re-iterate the wide landscape of fans supporting Indian Football and the Hero ISL. We are committed to creating the best experiences for our fans and continue to evolve with our digital platforms to engage with our audience."

The release said that there are several contributing factors behind this significant spike, the most important one being the new weekend-centric format of the 2022-23 edition. "This switch has enabled fans to engage more freely with the Hero ISL's digital properties as well as stadium experiences. Fans have had the opportunity to enjoy high-quality moments both at the stadium as well as on Hero ISL's various digital channels, which has been in line with the FSDL's commitment of taking Indian football to newer audiences and building a passionate base to grow the game in the country," the release informed.