Beyond cricket: JioStar’s Ishan Chatterjee sees a bigger, more inclusive sports economy

Mumbai: Men’s cricket will remain the engine, but the next leg of growth will come from a wider slate, said Ishan Chatterjee, CEO Sports, JioStar, at FICCI Frames 2025.

“We are betting on the rise of other sports in India. Tennis, football, kabaddi and even e-sports. Once Indian talent delivers world-class results, fandom accelerates. Look at what Neeraj Chopra did for javelin. That is the template,” said Chatterjee.

Chatterjee emphasised inclusion as the surest way to expand consumption and make the ecosystem more representative

“Our role as broadcasters is to give women’s cricket visibility, prime time slots and the right storytelling. It is one of our biggest priorities,” he added.

Chatterjee said India’s sports economy is set to grow from about 30 billion dollars to 70 billion dollars by 2030, citing a Deloitte view of the market. “We are truly at an inflection point.”

He acknowledged the challenges but underlined momentum. “Look, it is a challenge. I will not deny it. But we are in a country where the growth of the sports economy is just picking up. The next five to ten years are going to be crazy.”

Scale, he said, will come from serving both core fans and casual viewers. “The great thing about the IPL is the scale it operates on. For the core fan, it is depth and stats. For the casual viewer, it could be entertainment, creators or familiar characters that engage kids. That mix keeps the ecosystem growing.”

On product and technology, Chatterjee sketched a personalised viewing model. “India has always been at the cutting edge of tech adoption. Our vision for sports viewing is a completely personalised one-to-one feed. Two people can watch the same match, but the camera angles, commentary and interactive features can be entirely different for each.” He added, “Multi-cam viewing, vertical formats and AI-driven smart highlights are already changing fan behaviour. This is only the beginning.”

He returned to inclusion as a growth driver. “From a consumption standpoint, there is a lot of headroom. As a nation, we must become more representative and more inclusive. Building the WPL is a big focus for us.”

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik underlined the cultural piece. “India likes a bit of song and dance about it. I even watched a little bit of the IPL in Bhojpuri because I heard it is very funny.”

Chatterjee pointed to investment at the base. “There is massive investment happening at the grassroots. Government and private players are creating pathways for young athletes to develop and shine. When sportspersons perform, you ignite the passion of millions.”

“The task now is to grow both depth and breadth,” he said. “That is what will drive growth in sports beyond cricket and monetise new formats. India is just scratching the surface.”