Brands learn to play the game

For a few years now, sports (not just cricket) has turned into a magnet for brands. Companies across the spectrum are investing in a range of sports. Of course, cricket still holds sway over popular imagination, but a report by ESP Properties and SportzPower shows that the landscape of Indian sport is changing

• Sports sponsorship in India increased 12.3 per cent in 2015; at Rs 5,185.4 crore, sports accounted for 10.4 per cent of total media spending in 2015
   
• Spending on-air went up 30 per cent and on-ground 70 per cent in 2015
   
• Cricket is the money spinner, beating rival sports by a long distance in a year when the Champions League Twenty 20 was discontinued and there was no Asia Cup (it is a biennial event)
   
• There was an increase of 13 per cent in team sponsorship; major growth driver being non-cricket sports
   

Endorsements industry grew 27 per cent; international athletes contributed to 25 per cent of the endorsement numbers in 2015
 

Key brands that drove the cricketing upside were Paytm, CEAT Tyres and MRF Tyres with a combined inflow of Rs 107.8 crore per year, increasing cricket spends by 14 per cent
 

In 2015, IPL franchises saw sponsorship revenues grow anywhere between 15 and 30 per cent from 2014
 

Among other sports, distance running as a lifestyle activity gathered speed; marathons showed a 53.3 per cent year-on-year revenue increase from Rs 45 crore to Rs 69 crore
 

Football gained ground in the country, in terms of spectators at match venues, the tournament saw 78 per cent stadium-fill compared to 72 per cent in 2014
 

ISL (football league) had 18 sponsors at the central level in 2015 (up from 10 in 2014) that collectively contributed Rs 100 crore-plus as sponsorship amount
 

Ground sponsorship for football grew 91.6 per cent, from Rs 59.5 crore in 2014 to Rs 114 crore in 2015
 

About Rs 47 crore came into tennis in 2015, a 32 per cent rise over the Rs 35.6 crore generated in 2014
 

Pro Kabaddi League revenue touched Rs 48 crore in 2015, up from Rs 12 crore in the inaugural season, a massive 300 per cent rise
 

Pro Wrestling League touched Rs 10crore with four central sponsors - Dabur Chyawanprash (Title), Thums Up (Powered by), Jaquar (Associate) & Shiv Naresh (Brand partner)
 

PWL and Hockey India League both contributed to driving on-ground sponsorship from other sports in 2015 to a healthy Rs 223 crore, up from Rs 178 crore in 2014

SOURCE: Sporting nation in the making-III, India Sports Sponsorship Report 2016
NOTE: The data provided in this report does not include: gate receipts, players fee, salary, prize money, merchandising, subscription, sports goods and operational costs