When one of the biggest media companies in the world decides to plant their flag in pickleball, you know it's going to be huge.
That's precisely what happened last week when it was announced that The Times Group, the India-based multi-billion dollar media conglomerate, has funded the launch of Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), the Pickleball World Series, and the PWR World Tour.
Everything is Bigger in Dubai
The launch event, hosted in Dubai, UAE, saw big names from the pickleball world come together to discuss how the game will go from the "fastest growing sport in America" to the biggest sport in the world.
American-based pros on-hand included No. 1 APP Tour player Megan Fudge along with her husband – No. 5 player on the APP Tour Ryler DeHeart – and top-ranked Australian pros Emilia Schmidt and Mitch Hargreaves.
The four players entertained onlookers with an exhibition on a custom court that overlooked the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Besides the pros, The Dink CEO Thomas Shields, Founder of Major League Pickleball (MLP) Steve Kuhn, DUPR CEO Tito Machado, agents from Topnotch Management and HYPE/NATN and many others were in attendance.
All these people gathered to witness the beginning of what might become the world's biggest professional pickleball tour.
This is the first true effort at a global-first tour, and the money they're committing to the venture is raising the bar. With Times Group backing them, they have tons of capital to commit, as evidenced by the record-setting prize money.
PWR Announces the Biggest Prize Ever in Pickleball
The previous highest prize money allotted for a single pickleball tournament or event was $275,000 for the 2023 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships.
- The prize money being offered for the PWR World Series is between $6-9 million (with the first one committed to awarding $1.5 million).
- PWR India Tour and League will offer $1 million divided among 12 tour stops and a team event.
- The PWR World Tour will feature an estimated prize pool of $6-9 million awarded over 500+ events.
- This includes $100,000 for the China Open alone.
What is Pickleball World Rankings (PWR)?
PWR is the ranking system that will determine how players worldwide rank against one another. The rankings will lead to the Pickleball World Series, a series of six new marquee events worldwide designed to crown the best in the world.
PWR World Series will feature both a team and tour format with 12 US players vs 12 International players for the team portion of each event.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will host the inaugural PWR Series in March 2025.
You can see the announcement of this launch here:
In the video, CEO and co-founder of PWR Pranav Kohli explains pickleball to those who are unfamiliar with it, breaks down how PWR and the Pickleball World Series will work together, and introduces The Times Group as the financial backer of it all.
The Times Group believes pickleball will overtake tennis
The Times Group, also known as Bennett Coleman & Company Limited (BCCL), isa family-owned Indian media conglomeratethat was founded in 1838.The group is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and has a presence across all media platforms, including newspapers, magazines, books, TV, radio, the internet, event management, outdoor display, music, and movies.
"The Times Group is proud to be an anchor investor in PWR, a path-breaking initiative that unifies the global pickleball community. Times Group is known for its innovation and its ability to be ahead of the curve in every one of its initiatives," Times Group managing director Vineet Jain said.
"I personally believe that pickleball will overtake tennis in terms of participation in the near future. PWR is a platform that will empower players from every corner of the globe to compete, excel, and showcase their talents on an international stage," he said.
Strategic partnerships help bring this to life
Key partnerships for the PWR World Tour include:
- The Dink Minor League Pickleball
- National Pickleball League
- Indian Pickleball Tour & League
- Canadian National Pickleball League
- Pickleball World Cup
- Canadian Pickleball Association
- La Cocina Pickleball
Where to see all the announcements
If you'd like to watch summaries of the different presentations and get a feel for just how massive this is for bringing pickleball to the world, you can find the videos here on the TIMES NOW YouTube Channel.
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