Poker Sports League In Talks With Multiple Streaming Partners For Season 3

India has proved to be one of the world’s most promising online poker markets, attracting various business entities that are keen on tapping into the game’s increasing popularity in the country.

The latest companies to show interest in India’s booming online poker industry are key streaming platforms which are currently in talks with the Poker Sports League (PSL) for the streaming rights of its upcoming online tournament.

PSL will kick off its third season on January 16, but the tournament will be now be held at the virtual felts after success of their their first ever Virtual Poker League. The original plan was to hold a five-day on-ground event, but as the global health crisis continues, organizers have decided to hold an online tournament involving multiple matches that will run over two months.

PSL’s past two seasons were broadcast on DSPORTS, Discovery Communications India’s first sports channel. But with digital platforms becoming a huge hit these days, organizers are considering a potential collaboration with a streaming service in a bid to reach young audiences who spend most of their time watching content via their smartphones or computers, rather than the television.

Amit Burman, the chairman of Dabur India Ltd and is also the co-founder of Mind Sports League which organizes PSL, said they are currently negotiating with various streaming platforms, including Disney+ Hotstar, Voot, Zee5, Jio TV and MX Player, to choose a streaming partner for the tournament’s third season.

Video streaming platforms were able to contribute 4-5 million paying subscribers to the overall OTT (over-the-top) industry over the past few months, according to the latest figures from data and market measurement firm Nielsen, and TV monitoring agency BARC.

PSL First in India to Livestream Poker Event

Burman said they’ve already tested their production capabilities when they hosted an online charity event in October, becoming the first ever company in the country to livestream a poker tournament. While the tasks involved weren’t easy, they managed to pull it off, attracting many viewers, including non-poker players.

The online qualifying events for PSL Season 3 concluded on November 22, and now each team has a month to practice and prepare and will take part in a bootcamp which will take place in early January. A total of eight teams will compete for Rs 1.8 Crore in total prize pool. The past season recorded 20,000 registrations, and drew over 4 million views on Facebook alone.

PSL Season 3‘s official streaming partner will be announced soon.