MUMBAI: Virat Kohli’s social media presence translates into big bucks for the superstar. For the second year running, the Indian cricket team captain slots in at ninth place on the list of 2019’s Instagram sports rich list.
Ranked No. 1 in the ICC’s Test and ODI batsmen rankings, Kohli earns a whopping $196,000 (Rs 13,525,000) per Instagram post going out to his 36 million+ followers, according to Instagram scheduling tool Hopper HQ, which released its third Instagram Rich List Tuesday.
According to Hopper, with Instagram continuing to grow, 2019 has seen the highest amount of money for paid Instagram posts to date.
In a recent statistic from Facebook, 83% of Instagram users say they discover new products and services on Instagram, so it’s no wonder the influencer and sponsored post industry is still on the rise.
Hopper compiled its list based on internal data, agency rate cards and public information.
Kylie Jenner still tops the overall charts in 2019, having become the youngest self-made billionaire of all time this year according to Forbes. With 139 million+ followers, the American celebrity rakes in a monster $1,266,000 for each Instagram post.
Topping the list for sportspersons once again is Juventus and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo – earning $975,000 per post he sends out to his nearly 173 million followers. Next in line is Neymar, who earns $722,000, followed by Lionel Messi with $648,000.
For the record, Hopper’s 2019 Sports list has 16 athletes in all and is dominated by footballers (nine). The others who have made it to the Rich List include David Beckham, LeBron James, Ronaldinho, Gareth Bale, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez, Conor Mcgregor, Mohamed Salah, Stephen Curry, Floyd Mayweather, Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams.
As an aside, it is worth noting that Virat is NOT the highest paid Indian on the Instagram rich list. That honour goes to Hindi film A lister and international celebrity Priyanka Chopra. At # 19 overall, “Piggy Chops” rakes in $271,000 (Rs 18,700,000) for every marketing related post she puts out to her 43 million+ Instagram followers.
