Sports sponsorships in India surges 14% to reach Rs 73 bn in 2017: Report

Media spends grew 15.8% from Rs 35.11 billion in 2016 to Rs 40.65 billion in 2017

Sports sponsorships in India grew by 14 per cent to reach Rs 73 billion in 2017. Media spends (across print, TV and digital) on sports contributed the most (55 per cent of overall spends), followed by ground sponsorships, according to a report. 

Sports sponsorships now account for 12 per cent of the total advertising expenditure , even as sports viewership is only 5 per cent of the total TV viewership, according to ESP (GroupM’s sports marketing division) and Sportzpower’s Making of a Sports Nation V — India Sponsorship Report 2017.

Vinit Karnik, business head, ESP Properties, said, “2017 was truly