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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: The year 2016 started with a high for cricket lovers. One series after another, then the T20 World Cup and now the ongoing homegrown cricketing league, Indian Premier League (IPL). The official broadcaster for IPL, Sony Pictures Networks India, is eyeing Rs 1,200 crore worth of revenues this season. The use of sport in corporate and brand development in India continues to grow steadily. In 2015, sport accounted for 10.4% of total media spending at Rs 5,185.4 crore, rising 12.3% from Rs 4,616.5 crore in the previous year, as per Sporting Nation in the Making, a study by ESP Properties and SportzPower, in its third edition. This, when the sports genre contributes to about 3% of the total viewership pie. But cricket notwithstanding, other sports too have something to rejoice about. In fact, 2016 marks the second year of homegrown leagues beyond IPL – Indian Super League (ISL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), International Premier League Tennis (IPTL), Hockey India League (HIL) and Pro Wrestling League (PWL) — which are not only witnessing more average attendance but also greater ad bucks from marketers. So, what makes these sports so glamourous and lucrative to marketers?
Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: ISL which had 10 sponsors in 2014, had 18 in 2015, which collectively contributed more than Rs 100 crore towards sponsorship. Of this, Hero MotoCorp shelled out Rs 18 crore per year. Similarly, Pro Kabaddi League will enjoy a second season this year itself on Star Sports, come June; Star India decided to host the league twice in one year instead of annually after the league saw a jump in revenues to Rs 48 crore in 2015 from Rs 12 crore in its inaugural year (2014), a massive 300% hike. -
Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: The industry thanks IPL for being the successful example for others to learn from. India always was a cricketing nation, but IPL added the X-factor of entertainment to it. Though it too faced criticism and challenges in the beginning, over time it created local fans from across the nation. The whole structure was well packaged, which improved viewers’ experiences not only on television but on ground as well. And then come the extensive marketing exercises. But now, several non-cricket sports such as football and kabaddi have become mainstream because of the increased efforts at organising and hosting various events.
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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: Says Vinit Karnik, business head, ESP Properties, “Take kabaddi or wrestling for example. The rules were tweaked to bring out sleekness in the sport. From muddy grounds to synthetic mats, the whole sport is packaged well to make it TV friendly and more compelling.” To add to this, networks have changed the way sports is telecast in the country. It is no longer limited to just English and Hindi — the leagues are being aired in regional languages too. High quality cameras capturing each move, sophisticated commentary and celebrity muscle power go on to show that broadcasters and organisers haven’t left any stone unturned to package the leagues well. “Of the new leagues, surprisingly, kabaddi shows most promise and Star needs to be complimented for packaging it well,” says Sam Balsara, chairman, Madison World.
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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: Social media will play an important role in the proliferation of the leagues among youngsters. The Indian sports enthusiast is tech-savvy, and belongs to the ‘mobile most’ generation. Almost 70% of fans bring their mobile phones to a stadium for check-ins, making videos and clicking photos. ISL teams, which have a six digit Facebook base, have used the medium well to create more buzz than the tournament itself. Each season of PKL has grown in stadiums as well as on television, for both rural and urban audiences. Star is already seeing a renewed and growing brand sponsorship support for the fourth season scheduled for June 25. “With a World Cup following soon after, 2016 will be a landmark year for kabaddi with 80 days of the sport on television!” asserts Nitin Kukreja, CEO, Star Sports.
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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: Goa, West Bengal and the eastern states are interested in the sport more than north India which supports wrestling. Most of these leagues attract urban and younger males but football shows higher female skew than other sports. “While these leagues definitely offer much more to sports lovers, non-cricket sports like hockey, football and badminton have 0.1% ratings or less, except for kabaddi which is between 0.6-1%, depending on the TG. For ISL, men spend an average time of 15-20 minutes viewing it; it is 35-40 minutes for PKL,” explains Neel Kamal Sharma, COO, buying, Madison Media. “When it comes to viewership, the leagues that are keeping pace with IPL are ISL and PKL, while others are still catching up,” says Karnik.
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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: Nonetheless, advertisers are seeing the rise of different leagues as an opportunity to reach their TG at a cheaper cost. ISL and PKL have seen sponsorships grow by over 25% since their inaugural seasons and trends show that the sponsorships are poised to increase as the leagues mature. “Sponsors have woken up to the fact that while cricket is the number one sport in the country, India is no longer a one-sport nation,” asserts Indranil Das Blah, partner and COO, CAA KWAN, and CEO, Mumbai City FC.
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Beyond Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket: Today, any sporting IP, league or event requires brands to associate for as low as Rs 3-4 crore, right up to Rs 35-40 crore. Non-cricket sports combined made up 29.5% of the team sponsorship pie in 2014. With so much marketing money being spent, sports sponsorships are becoming more nuanced, thus making it even more essential to gauge the ROI. However, industry unanimously believes immediate ROI is not something that should be expected. Every sporting league in the world requires investments and a waiting period lasting anywhere from between three to 10 years. “We are not here for the numbers. We are creating a portfolio wherein other global sports and local sports/leagues bloom,” says Krishnan.
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