In India Sports Sponsorship Report 2015, GroupM and SportzPower find that the sports industry has grown by 10 per cent, up from Rs. 4,372.5 crore in 2013 to Rs. 4,806.9 crore in 2015. However, in cricket, on-ground sponsorship fell from Rs. 508.3 crore to Rs. 464.7 crore and cricket team sponsorship fell from Rs. 389.2 crore to Rs. 347.8 crore. The growth is primarily due to the birth of new sports leagues – Indian Super League (ISL), Pro Kabaddi League, World Kabaddi League, Champions Tennis League and Indian Premiere Tennis League (IPTL). FIFA was a big influence on the growth in TV spends.
New leagues contributed in driving the growth for on-ground sponsorship. While ISL had 10 sponsors at the central level with almost Rs. 50 crore sponsorship amount, Coca Cola – IPTL was the landmark deal.
The study forecasts that non-cricket sports are likely to expand the sports business. Live match content is being repurposed in multiple ways to facilitate social consumption. This trend is slated to grow even bigger in 2015. Digital and social properties will drive the value of sports entities. Sports businesses are likely to build strong grassroots engagement through experiential programmes. In-stadium experience is set to get enhanced, and become more social. Seventy per cent of fans bring a mobile device to the stadium, and are expected to use it during a game too. Pro Kabaddi League is the one to watch out for, says the study.
Source: Thehindubusinessline.com
