Panel:
- Moderator – Imran Yusuf, editor, SportBusiness Media
- Aarti Dabas, chief media officer, Formula E
- Anil Jayaraj, CEO, Viacom18
- Sunil Manoharan, vice president – media rights, ICC
- Gaurav Mehta, co-founder, Quidich Innovation Labs
India’s sports media landscape is experiencing explosive growth, with digital platforms driving massive viewership numbers, according to a panel at SPORTEL Monaco on 23rd October.
Moderated by Imran Yusuf, Editor of SportBusiness Media, the panel featured four prominent sports executives, all originally from India, but globally active in the industry.
Anil Jayaraj, chief executive officer of media group Viacom18, spoke about showing the Indian Premier League (IPL), which saw 450 million viewers on digital platforms alone, and highlighted the country’s shift towards mobile-first consumption.
The idea that India is experiencing a digital revolution was echoed by the other panellists. The free-to-air digital model, driven by advertising revenue, has started to dominate the market. This, however, presents challenges for non-cricket rights-holders to achieve their targets, a point made by Aarti Dabas, chief media officer at Formula E.
Sunil Manoharan, vice president – media rights at the ICC, was keen to emphasise that cricket remains the dominant sport in India, with non-cricket properties inevitably struggling for growth at the same rate. However, other disciplines like kabaddi and football are gaining traction, albeit slowly.
Gaurav Mehta, co-founder at Quidich Innovation Labs, emphasised that technology plays a crucial role in a number of ways, including addressing challenges of scale and regional language broadcasting, with Indian tech firms driving innovation in viewer experience and storytelling. Over half of India’s 1.4 billion people are under 30, creating a demographic dividend.
Women’s sports, particularly cricket, show significant growth potential and profitability in India. The Women’s Premier League cricket tournament has been a “huge success” extending the strong lineage of women’s sports in the country.
The bottom line was that India’s tech sector is driving innovation in sports media, focusing on enhancing viewer experience and storytelling across multiple languages and platforms.