TikTok becomes official entertainment partner of PSL 7 and PSL 8

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has established a partnership with TikTok, the premier destination for short-form videos for two seasons of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL).

For PSL 7 and PSL 8, Chinese video sharing giant TikTok will be the official Entertainment Partner, a joint announcement by the PCB and TikTok said.

During the HBL PSL 7, which begins on January 27 in Karachi and Lahore, TikTok users will be able to engage and create content on the platform, which now has over one billion active users worldwide.

The month-long (34-match) HBL PSL 7 cricket carnival will culminate on February 27 with the final at Lahore’s renowned Gaddafi Stadium.

The PCB’s two-season agreement with TikTok will allow fans to share their favourite moments from the event on the site using the hashtag #KhelegaPakistan.

TikTok will become a home for the enthusiasm and passion of the HBL-PSL fan base, which has been a key reason for the league’s success and growth over the last six seasons, with everything from pre and post-match entertainment and highlights to cricket-related challenges.

This collaboration comes as TikTok strives to solidify its position as the ideal medium for cricket fandom in Pakistan, with the platform’s last engagement with the HBL-PSL 6 racking up an astonishing 1.6 billion+ views.

This is proof that Pakistani fans enjoy the platform’s cricket content and provide amazing content while taking part in entertaining activities.

“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,” Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja said.

He maintained that the HBL Pakistan Super League had 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,” Ramiz Raja contended.

TikTok Head of Brand Marketing, Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan, Paul Katrib remarked TikTok was 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,” Paul Katrib elaborated.

The senior TikTok official underscored that cricket was 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.”

Paul Katrib stressed that because TikTok was a platform for everyone, “this two-season partnership will help the HBL-PSL not only reach a younger audience, but also engage more authentically with a very interactive and diverse community that has supported the league since its inception, helping it become one of the most popular and sought-after T20 leagues in the world.”