KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its partnership with TikTok, the leading destination for short form videos, for two seasons of the HBL Pakistan Super League. TikTok will be the official Entertainment Partner for the seventh and eighth editions of one of the world’s most sought after and popular T20 leagues.
During the HBL PSL 7 that will be staged in Karachi and Lahore from January 27, TikTok users will get the opportunity to engage and generate content on the platform that now has more than one billion active users across the globe. The month-long (34-match) HBL PSL 7 festival of cricket will end at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the 27 February final.
The two-season long partnership between the PCB and TikTok will allow fans to celebrate the tournament’s unforgettable moments together on the platform using the hashtag #KhelegaPakistan. With everything from pre and post match content and highlights, to cricket-related challenges, TikTok will become a home for the spirit and passion of the HBL PSL fan base that has been an integral reason for the league’s success and growth over the course of the last six seasons.
This partnership comes as TikTok aims to cement its position as the perfect platform for cricket fandom in Pakistan, with the last collaboration with the HBL PSL 6 racking up an incredible 1.6 billion+ views on the platform. This is proof that Pakistan fans love cricket content on the platform, and create great content while also participating in fun-filled challenges.
Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja: “We are delighted to have TikTok join hands with us as our Official Entertainment Partner for HBL Pakistan Super League 7 and 8. Platforms like TikTok have revolutionised content generation and have brought people together through some incredibly creative and entertaining short videos that are watched around the world.
“The HBL Pakistan Super League has historically provided rich entertainment with quality cricket and this year will be no different with TikTok providing another exciting platform for the fans.
“We have made record-breaking gains in terms of our media, sponsorship and broadcast rights in recent days and this partnership is another important milestone for us ahead of the start of the HBL PSL 7. I am confident that both PCB and TikTok will have major gains to make over the course of the next two months and beyond once Pakistan is gripped by the HBL PSL 7 fever starting 27 January.”
Paul Katrib, Head of Brand Marketing, Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan at TikTok: “We are excited to become the official Entertainment Partner of the HBL PSL 7 and 8, the biggest sporting event in Pakistan. With this partnership, we aim to bring the spirit and passion of this great tournament to its fans on TikTok for the next two seasons.
“TikTok has become a vibrant hub of sports content in the last two years. It nurtures incredible, never-seen-before sporting content, while enabling creators to relive and remix some of the best moments in sports. Creating an online arena where fans play, we will be offering our Pakistani community new ways of creating and engaging with Pakistan’s most popular sporting event, with exciting in-app effects, as well as cool features and filters for the cricket community to enjoy.
“Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan and we are happy to have partnered with cricket’s most celebrated event in the country. We look forward to TikTok fast becoming the home of fandom for not just cricket but other sports in Pakistan as well.”
With TikTok being a platform for all, this two-season collaboration will help the HBL PSL not only reach a young audience but also engage more authentically with a very interactive and diverse community that has backed the league from the onset, helping it become one of the most popular and sought after T20 leagues in the world.
