Presentation: Sports industry has grown by 10 per cent in 2015

GroupM and SportzPower India have released the Sports Sponsorship Report 2015. The second edition of the report captures the emergence of new league sports in India.

GroupM ESP and Sportzpower have together released the second edition of a comprehensive report on sports sponsorship, which captures the emergence of new leagues in India along with other key highlights. The insight of the sports sponsorship report captures the trends and developments in advertising and sponsorship in the Indian sports Industry in 2014.

Speaking on the future of sports marketing in India, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM, South Asia, says, "Sports marketing is finally coming of age in India. Even though cricket has shown the way and continues to be the dominant sport, newer leagues are helping broad base sports and make it a great platform for brands. Digital especially; social media is helping build a fan following much faster. At GroupM, we made inroads into sports marketing some years ago and are now scaling up our practice."

The second edition of the report reveals that overall the sports industry has grown by 10 per cent - up from Rs. 43725 million in 2013 to Rs. 48069 million in 2015; however, cricket saw a dip in on-ground sponsorship (from 5083 million to 4647 million) and cricket team sponsorship (from 3892 million to 3478 million).

Growth has come mainly on the back of the emergence of new sports leagues - Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League, World Kabaddi League, Champions Tennis League and Indian Premiere Tennis League. FIFA was the big factor for the increase in TV spends.

Focussing on the key developments that are expected in 2015, Vinit Karnik, national director, Sports & Live Events, GroupM ESP, says, "The sports industry has grown by 10 per cent in 2014 and seen the formation of newer leagues and successful franchises. From a single sports country to a multi-sport country, India is witnessing a boom which will benefit the sports business ecosystem. In 2015, we predict to see a change in the way consumers interact in the realm of sports and entertainment."

Thomas Abraham, co-founder, SportzPower, adds, "Other sports are emerging gradually with the onset of many new league-styled sport events. Even though FIFA was a big factor in the increase in TV spends in 2014, cricket still dominated Indian sports TV broadcasting with back to back cricketing sports tournaments like the World Cup and IPL, although there was a rise in viewership of other sports too."

Please find below the detailed report.