For Pakistan, cricket is not just a sport, it is a sentiment. It is not uncommon to scroll social media on any usual day and find a considerable amount of content and chatter all about cricket. But when it is a national mega cricket event like the Pakistan Super League (PSL), it is difficult if not impossible to find any other chatter. Everybody loves talking about cricket. To see it this way, it is much more than just a sport – it unifies beyond political differences. A cricket hero is every Pakistani’s hero, no matter what. When a cricket star is performing well, there are no haters; only lovers of good cricket. This year’s PSL coinciding with the election season in the country is a unique time where political differences can melt into the shared love for cricket.
Pakistanis’ fondness for cricket is so profound that it is not unusual to expect the subtle effect of PSL on voting preferences. For example, cricket stars are not just sportsmen but also influencers in their own right. Similarly, corporate giants and managers behind the PSL have people’s support for arranging such a dose of entertainment for them. In a cricket season concurring with election season, all these stakeholders become opinion-makers. For this season of PSL, another remarkable thing has happened. The live streaming, as well as digital rights, have been won by none other than the very indigenous Walee. The fact that this Pakistan- based upstart has left behind all other media giants is wholly remarkable.
PCB’s decision to bring Walee to the fore of the bidding reflects a crucial intermingling of the economic aspect of the PSL that can have huge leverage over the country’s politics. Walee is equipped with the most advanced digital sentiment and emotions analysis tech that can fully read and comprehend Gen Z users’ digital experience.
With a pool of 140000 content creators, this company is a revolution in itself and that is very obvious by the way in which it has left behind the likes of Daraz and Alibaba who have enjoyed PSL rights previously. The home-grown Walee, after winning rights for the upcoming two seasons of PSL, is not just a company now. It is a driver and maker of opinions and preferences; and that includes political ones too – for how enterprises exert influence from policies to politics is no more a secret of the 21st century.
Source: nation.com.pk