“WITH FOCUS COMING IN ON THE NON-CRICKETING SPORTS, I THINK IT’S EXCITING TIMES FOR BOTH PLAYERS AS WELL AS FOR THE ADVERTISERS”
Growth of non-cricket sports market in India from a brand perspective NM: I think with focus coming
in on the non-cricketing sports, certainly we see renewed interest, we see more excitement. Badminton, Kabaddi and other non-cricket sports are gaining popularity. And I think it’s exciting times for both players as well as for the advertisers.
Digital players like Hotstar increasing engagement for noncricket sports NM: I think the more we
reach out to people, the more engagement there will be. The key is for the whole package to be presented well in order to engage audiences.
Evolution of brand associations with sporting events over the years NM: Some things have
changed and some haven’t. What hasn’t changed is that we still have title sponsorships, which were there from the beginning.
What has changed is consumers have now started asking for more. For instance, we run digital contests around IPL. People these days want more content, and especially with digital, content is king. It’s not just limited to ‘I watch it on television and it finishes there’. It’s not just brand awareness so to speak. Now people can really feel the brand, what it stands for, what its values are, and what the tone is.
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