Lahore July 3: Leading sports evaluation firm Nielsen Sports has given the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) a hugely positive report on the third edition of the tournament. The event was held in February-March this year in the UAE with three games including the final played in Pakistan.

The combined media exposure brand value worth for HBL PSL season three (PSL, official partners and franchises) was calculated at $230+ million.

According to Nielsen Sports who conducted an extensive research on the league, the HBL PSL and its official sponsors generated 38% higher value than the previous season showing a rapid growth in the league.

Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings were the top two performing franchises in terms of total media value.

Social media was the media platform that showed the greatest growth, increasing the value for HBL PSL and its sponsors by almost four times.

This was mainly due to more uploaded content and higher fan engagement on Facebook and Twitter on the official HBL PSL platforms.

Nielsen Sports is the premier provider of analytics and insights within the sports industry, offering the most reliable source of independent and holistic market data in the sector and the most complete view of consumer trends and habits worldwide.

The firm has also recently delivered the first ever global market research for the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The HBL PSL team, stakeholders and franchises were presented a thorough report on the third edition of the HBL PSL by sports evaluation firm Nielsen Sports in Lahore today.

Kelvin Watt, Managing Director Africa and Middle East Nielsen Sports, who presented the report, spoke on the HBL PSL’s growth in the third edition.

Watt feels that the 2018 edition has further increased HBL PSL’s value in and outside Pakistan.

“Nielsen Sports has been associated with the HBL PSL since its inception and we are very pleased to report back to the PCB and the various franchise owners the continued growth of the HBL PSL in 2018. There is no doubt that the HBL PSL truly became a globally relevant cricket event this year and we look forward to this property growing from strength to strength in the years ahead.”