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Any breach will entail legal action and prosecution to the maximum extent without further notice. GroupM Media India Private Limited Level 7, BAY 99, The ORB, IA Project Road, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Andheri East, Mumbai 400099 Facebook.com/GroupM.India Twitter.com/GroupMIndia Disclaimer: GroupM Media India Private Limited have endeavoured and taken all efforts to provide the most correct and most reliable information and avoid any kind of mistake in this research report. GroupM Media India Private Limited do not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any form of inference or conclusion from the information provided in this research report and GroupM Media India Private Limited expressly disclaim any liability for direct, indirect and special losses like loss of profits or loss of business opportunities or any other kind of losses and will be free from any liability for damages or losses of any nature arising from or related to the information in this research report. FOREWORD Vinit Karnik Business Head - ESP Properties [email protected] The team at ESP Properties (the Entertainment & Sports division of GroupM) is excited to bring to you the seventh edition of the "Sporting Nation in the Making". This industry initiative from us is aimed at giving you a ringside view of the Sports Sponsorship Industry in India. 2019 was a year that saw a strong While we won a Gold Medal at the The report analyses the sports uptrend that was driven by cricket, World Junior Track Cycling industry from four angles - Ground India’s most popular sport. The ICC Championship, our Table Tennis Sponsorship, Team Sponsorship & World Cup was an important event team was able to achieve its highest Franchise, Athlete Endorsement and in the Indian Cricket Team’s ever ITTF ranking last year. Our Media Spends. All the numbers calendar in a year that saw us women athletes did the nation proud mentioned in the report are nett of achieve good amount of success on with victories in diverse sporting taxes. In addition to giving you key the field. This marquee event, with events like Badminton, Track & Field, investment trends in each of these its league format that guaranteed at Weightlifting and Motorsport. Outside areas, it also captures the digital data least nine matches for all the teams, of cricket, the leading athletes in (social conversations & search), was a high point from a commercial brand endorsement were women. along with the On Air elements in perspective too. Team India’s While the main franchise leagues each of the major sporting leagues to matches round the year, along with continued their saga in 2019, we increase the utility to Rights Owners, the IPL, ensured that cricket played also saw fresh beginnings with an Advertisers, and Agencies. In addition a lead role in propelling the industry alternate Kabaddi competition and to sharing the quantitative picture of to a growth of 17% with 59% of the new leagues in boxing and racing 2019, the report also examines the incremental revenue coming from playing out their debut season. qualitative aspects of the industry too, media spends. There was so that you get a clear understanding significant upward movement in 2019 saw a digital revolution of the reasons behind the trends, Ground Sponsorship value, which sweeping across sports with OTT along with the extent of the same. We was made possible by the new media gaining ground with the gratefully acknowledge the valuable lucrative deals signed by BCCI. Indian fans. While TV advertising contributions provided by rights continued to grow, brands are owners, agencies and industry Cricket continued to dominate the clearly seeing a role for digital participants who have supported us brand endorsement space by media in their marketing mix. Media with vital insights and information in outgrowing other sports and is only one part of the influence of the preparation of this report. increased its share to 85%. If we technology in sports; teams are look beyond cricket, it was a good showing an increasing propensity to Our endeavor has been to provide year for Indian athletes at invest in tech-enabled solutions to you with an informative report and international events. Our Shooting boost their performance levels. 2019 we believe that it will give you a team did particularly well and also saw many Indian technology useful picture of the industry. We will emerged as world leaders, claiming majors being roped in for analytics be happy to receive feedback or our best ever participation quota at and other solutions by governing suggestions that could enhance the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. bodies for big sporting events. future editions of this report. CONTENTS HIGH-SCORING YEAR FOR A SPORTING ECO-SYSTEM 01-06 GROUND REALITIES INDICATE RESOUNDING GROWTH FOR CRICKET 07-16 INDIAN ESPORTS AND THE GAMING INDUSTRY 17-18 BIG GUNS STEADY THE INNINGS WHILE NEWCOMERS PLAY THEIR PART IN A SOLID TEAM EFFORT 19-22 BRAND VIRAT LEADS THE CHARGE AS CRICKETERS STEP UP THE SCORING RATE 23-28 OVER-THE-TOP HITTING BY CRICKET ON MEDIA 29-32 2020 VISION FOR A YEAR OF OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS 33-38 HIGH-SCORING YEAR FOR A SPORTING ECO-SYSTEM The growth juggernaut rolled on in 2019 with Ground Sponsorship and Media Spends contributing significantly to the upside. On both these fronts, major push came from the ICC World Cup as well as the IPL, as cricket continued to hold the nation enraptured. Not surprisingly, cricketers continued to score heavily for brands, driving the endorsement revenue to greater heights. Many Indian athletes won us laurels at international events in a year that saw some sporting leagues making their debut in India. 01 Sporting Nation In The Making VII / High-scoring year07 for a Sportingsporting eco-systemNation In The Making VII / High-scoring year for a sporting eco-system 08 02 It was a year of commercial success title sponsorship rights at a bid value in Indian sports. 2019 saw a healthy which was 58% higher than what 17% growth in the overall Sports they paid in the previous cycle. Sponsorship market in India with the Dream11, LafargeHolcim (ACC value crossing the mark of ` 9000 Cement and Ambuja Cement) and Cr. ($ 1286 Mn) for the first time ever. Hyundai came in as Official Sponsors If we look further into the past, we for the next four years, making the can see a strong CAGR of 12.8% in deal 73% more lucrative than the the business of sports over the last 10 previous cycle. Complementing Team years, making it one of the better India’s schedule was the Indian performing sectors in the economy. Premier League (IPL), the annual This number considers revenue from cricket extravaganza that is now part Ground Sponsorship, Team of the Indian spirit. With Vivo as the Sponsorship & Franchise Fee, Athlete Title Sponsor and with Tata Motors, Endorsements, and Media Spends. Star India and Future Group as Not in purview of this report are Gate Official Partners, the league also had Receipts, Player Fee/Salary, Prize brands like Dream11, Ceat Tyre and Money, Merchandizing, Subscription, Paytm as part of the bandwagon. Sports Goods and Operational Cost. Brands like MyTeam11 and Netmeds sponsored Team India’s overseas The launch of India’s pre-eminent tours, while we saw investments from sporting league, the IPL, was Hero and Dream11 in franchise effectively a new beginning for sports cricket outside India. in the country. The last decade saw a huge growth curve in Sports Sponsorship with this cricketing fiesta evolving into its current scale, as well as the adoption of the IPL format to other sports disciplines too. The numbers in 2019 showed us a reinforcement of this trend, with the lion’s share of the incremental revenue coming from Ground Sponsorship and Advertising Spends on media. Overall Ground Sponsorship value has been on the up year after year, and last year saw the growth trajectory getting even steeper, with a whopping increment of 25% over 2018. Making this possible was cricket, India’s national obsession. The high point of the 2019 sporting calendar for us was the ICC World Cup in which India was one of the teams to look out for. Following this high-profile event, there was a long home season for the national team in which we had a very successful run. The new BCCI home series deals delivered at a significantly higher scoring rate than before, for instance Paytm won the 03 Sporting Nation In The Making VII / High-scoring year for a sporting eco-system In a significant shift, the online we also saw the debut season of the learning platform Byju’s replaced Indo International Premier Kabaddi Oppo as Team India’s Sponsor League, Big Bout Indian Boxing after the World Cup that was held League and X1 Racing League.