Following an impressive first season that drew a total television viewership of 133 million, the PVL returns with bigger goals in the brand-new second season. The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and its commercial unit Volleyball World also confirmed that the Men’s Club World Championships will be held in India in 2023 and 2024, providing a significant boost to the Indian sporting landscape.
As Indian volleyball continues to grow, we spoke with Tuhin Mishra, co-founder of Baseline Ventures, which promotes the PVL.
Excerpts from the discussion…
PVL had a fantastic first season. This time, the fans have returned, and the Mumbai Meteors have been joined by another team. What are your objectives?
For a variety of reasons, this season has grown significantly. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we only had one venue last year, which was Hyderabad. This season, we have 8 teams and 31 matches. There are three host cities as well. We’ll begin in Bangalore, then move to Hyderabad and then Cochin for the third phase, which will include the semi-finals and final.
In Mumbai Meteors, we now have a new team. As a result, the event has grown in size. On one level, yes. Another important collaboration is with the FIVB and its commercial arm, Volleyball World.
Because of that partnership, these matches will be broadcast all over the world. And we’ve entered into a multi-year agreement. As a result, it simply makes the league better and a few knots higher than it was last year.
The FIVB announced earlier this month that the Volleyball Club World Championships will be held in India. That must be a huge relief…
That is a massive boost. Because it is the first time it is happening (in India). The silver lining is that India will host it in 2023 and 2024, and the winning team from the Prime Volleyball League will represent India in that Championship.
Our boys will compete against some of the best volleyball players from Brazil, Italy, and other countries around the world. It’s similar to the Champions League in football, where the best clubs compete.
In India, and never in any global sport, have the top clubs ever played on home soil at the same time. When you look at the entire landscape in which we operate, it is on a completely different level.
