PhonePe co-founders pick up Mumbai franchise of Prime Volleyball League

PhonePe co-founders invest in RuPay Prime Volleyball League, pick up Mumbai franchise

After an extremely successful inaugural edition of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League in February 2022, there has been a massive increase in the sports' popularity across India. As the second season of the league approaches, the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 is set to further expand its family, with the Founders of India's leading Digital Payments company PhonePe coming on board as investors in the PVL league and acquiring the 8th franchise - the Mumbai Meteors. The former Indian national volleyball team's captain Abhijit Bhattacharya joins them as the GM of the new Mumbai Meteors franchise. 

Speaking on the occasion, Sameer Nigam said, "As a regular volleyball player myself, I have a great sense of how enthralling the sport can be. And the RuPay PVL gives us a perfect opportunity of building this sport in a professional way to a world-beating level. I am excited about the opportunity.” 

Rahul Chari added, “The Indian sports ecosystem is an exciting place with a lot of room for development, especially in the non-cricket space. The RuPay PVL seems a great opportunity to work and contribute in this space.” 

In the inaugural season of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, which is co-promoted and exclusively marketed by India’s leading sports marketing firm, Baseline Ventures, 24 games were played. The league had a cumulative television viewership of 133 million, with the choice of English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam commentary.  

In addition, the RuPay Prime Volleyball League managed to reach over 84 million fans across India, along with over 5 million engagements from audiences through various digital platforms. A massive regional connection was also established through contemporary social media platform Share Chat, while substantial viewership was gained on videos through Moj. In total, the videos distributed across social media platforms garnered over 43 million views.  

For Season 2, which is expected to commence in early 2023, the commercial arm of global body of Volleyball (Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball, FIVB), Volleyball World has joined hands with PVL coming on board as the International streaming partners in a multiyear association. Sony Sports Network continues to be the host broadcaster & the fans are looking forward to exciting 31 games to be played in Season 2 of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23.  

Joy Bhattacharya, CEO, RuPay Prime Volleyball League noted, “We are delighted to have Sameer and Rahul on board with us as franchise owners as the league continues to grow bigger and better. It is exciting to see hugely respected corporate leaders not only showcasing their support to the sport, but also backing the business model that we have worked so hard to build. I am confident their expertise will help us in further expanding the league to an even wider audience as we go along."

Welcoming the Mumbai franchise owners, Thomas Muthoot, Owner, Kochi Blue Spikers, added, "It's fantastic to hear that Mr. Nigam and Mr. Chari have acquired the Mumbai Meteors. Their business acumen and passion for sport will be a major asset for RuPay Prime Volleyball League this time around. We are confident that the addition of the Mumbai franchise will help us in taking the league to even greater heights."