Sports advertising in India hits Rs 16,633 crore; emerging sports gain ground

New Delhi: The Indian adland has multiple contributors to its magnanimity. However, sports is one force that dominates all. And this force grew 6% y-o-y in CY2024. Sports advertising in India grew from Rs 15,766 crores in 2023 to Rs 16,633 crores in 2024. 

According to the ‘Sporting Nation’ report by Groupm, the sports industry, primarily driven by cricket, produced a total business of Rs 16,733 crores, out of which, 85% belonged to cricket, while 15% belonged to emerging sports. 

This share of cricket in the accumulating advertising bucks witnessed a slump of 2%. According to the report, The Indian cricket team played 44 matches in all in 2024, while they had a significantly busier schedule in 2023 with 64 outings.

Sponsorship Spends

Sponsorship spends indicated a healthy growth of sponsorships in the emerging sports category. The total sponsorship spends allocated to emerging sports in 2024 amounted to Rs 1,811 crore as compared to previous year’s Rs 1,528 crore. 

Looking at cricket, the sponsorship deals saw a 4% decline. The figure for 2024 in cricket was Rs 5,610 crore. 

Looking at the sponsorship spends categorically, sports advertising in India witnessed a total expenditure of Rs 7,421 crore. Within this pool of capital, group sponsorship had a share of Rs 3,046 crore, team sponsorship was Rs 1,681 crore large, and franchise fee stood at 2,694 crore. 

The IPL (Indian Premier League) also witnessed changes in the wake of the renewal of its Central Sponsorship, indicating the start of a new cycle in 2024. Tata extended its association as the Title Sponsor, with a deal valued at Rs 500 crore per year, while the Associate Partner slots were secured at an average annual value of Rs 93 crore. 

Commenting on the sponsorship deals, Zameer Kochar, Chief Marketing Officer, Angel One, said, “Multiple brands, whether new age start-ups or traditional legacy brands, have leveraged IPL as a marquee event to drive mass brand visibility & brand consideration.  

A well-thought-out 360 marketing strategy by leveraging on-ground, on-air & digital media with a strong mix of creative messaging, smart targeting & a robust measurement & monitoring framework has helped brands successfully deliver on both brand & business outcomes.” 

Angel One is part of the associate partners for the IPL. 

Emerging Sports

Emerging sports such as Pickleball has gained immense traction among Indian sports enthusiasts. The way we consume content has changed dramatically with short-form videos dominating our screens and quick engagement becoming par for the course. This metamorphosis extends to the world of sports too, where even traditional approaches are being redefined to align with contemporary preferences.

Pickleball, having recently emerged as a modern sport,  blends elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and offers a lively experience that is both absorbing and uncomplicated. With a global market size of Rs 10,920 crore, pickleball has cemented its place in the world of sports. 

Another vertical is the rising popularity of athletes in India. Athletes such as Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, Hima Das, and others have diversified the ad spends and endorsement deals, rather than it being limited to cricket. 

2024 was the year of the Summer Olympics, and carrying the aspirations of the nation were the 117 participants who represented us at the Games in Paris. India finished with an impressive tally of six medals. 

Sports such as chess also became a hot topic after Gukesh D won the FIDE World Chess Championship and became the pride of the nation. 

Badminton players like Lakshya Sen and the doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag, the key hockey players who are taking us on the path of ascendancy, Olympic medal winner Aman Sehrawat and other rising wrestlers, our young boxers, weightlifters and shooters – all represent a generation of athletes from emerging sports who are on the cusp of even bigger wins on the world stage

Sports celebrity endorsements

Sports endorsement took off, growing 32% on-year. From Rs 927 crore the previous year, sports celebrity endorsements stood at Rs 1,224 crore in CY2024. 

The impact of the Olympic Year was prominent on the Endorsements pie in Emerging Sports too. The likes of Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu ensured a nearly 50% growth YoY in the endorsements pie. The emerging sports category saw a jump of 45%, while endorsements for cricket celebrities grew 30%. 

Media Mix

Media spending in sports stayed buoyant for the year 2024. The category drew a 7% increase in media spends, with this year’s just shy of Rs 8,000 crore. 

The dominating medium was television, which saw the ad world pouring Rs 4,396 crore. However, despite the dominance, TV saw a 5% decline when compared year-on-year. While print and digital grew 31% and 25%, TV’s prominence incurred a slump.

Cricket, yet again, was the highest spender when it came to media buying with a total of Rs 7,509 crores channeled through various media platforms. The lesser number of matches played this year may have driven the decline in TV, the report noted.