Sports TV broadcasting clocked Rs 7,560 crore revenue in FY22: Report

The sports market stood at Rs 9,500 crore in FY22, with over 720 million TV viewers in 2022, as per KPMG analysis.

Television remains the largest media platform in India, both in terms of reach as well as consumer engagement (time spent). As per KPMG analysis 2022, the number of TV households in India is expected to reach 250 million by 2026, from 210 million in 2020.

When it comes to TV consumption, sports has the highest reach among all genres - 722 million in the first nine months of this year. The genre has remained largely resilient to COVID headwinds and is expected to scale the 2019 highs by the close of this year. 

Advertiser interest in sports broadcast has grown strongly. Both traditional and new age businesses have turned the spotlight on sports TV broadcasting, with the segment clocking in revenues of Rs 7,560 crore in FY22 (TV + digital OTT sports market stood at Rs 9,500 crore in FY22).

TV has an unparalleled reach of 900 million viewers, the largest of any media platform in the country.

Through the whitepaper titled 'Sports broadcasting on TV – A match made in heaven', launched at the 11th CII Big Picture Summit 2022, KPMG in India, CII and IBDF aims to look at the growth drivers for sports broadcasting in India, the potential runway ahead and how the value chain stands to gain from it.

Commenting on the findings, Akhilesh Tuteja, partner and head, technology media and telecom, KPMG in India, said “Given its wider reach and interest, as compared to other content genres, sports on TV is one of the most monetisable genres. The television and digital OTT sports market is estimated at close to Rs 10,000 crore in FY22, with sports on TV holding a lion’s share. With a large screen experience, co/family viewing and investments by broadcasters, bringing the best of cricket and other sport to Indian viewers, sport on TV is likely to remain highly relevant for the foreseeable future.” 

Vibhor Gauba, associate partner, deal advisory - M&A Consulting, KPMG in India, added, “Advertisers on TV see tremendous value, when it comes to sport. Whether it be traditional or digital-first brands, the premium NCCS AB audiences that sport on TV have access to; means that these brands continue to see TV as the first port of call for increasing reach, building brand recall and relevance, and getting their messages across to consumers. Impact properties like IPL and PKL will continue to see brands flocking to them in the coming years.”

Commenting on the report and the statuesque of Sports broadcasting in India, Sanjog Gupta, head of sports at Disney Star said, “Sport on TV is an unrivalled aggregator of shared viewing experiences. It is highly enriching and unique as it brings together the 'lean back' nature of TV viewing with the highly immersive engagement of live sport. No other platform or content genre offers this rare combination of virtues, which beyond attracting 550+ million viewers, also serves as the ideal vehicle for brands trying to reach and engage consumers. There is immense headroom for growth for Sports on TV with viewership still under-indexed compared to other content genres, constrained primarily by paucity of relevant supply. Viewership for sports like Kabaddi, Football and Wrestling reaching critical mass, and the growth of Women's Cricket, have served as strong signals for the upward trajectory of sports on TV”.