Over the past 20 years, Sports as an Industry especially in India has changed fundamentally. Today, Sports is not just an active platform for marketing and creating branding opportunities for corporates investing in Sports, but also creating value for fans across the country. 

Sporting leagues in India and across the world have invited valuable support and presence of corporate sector. Sporting leagues have not only promoted sports like Table Tennis, Kabaddi, Soccer, Hockey and Volleyball in India; they have also created value for all stakeholders in the fraternity. All leagues have had varying levels of success in generating fan base, inviting sponsorships and ensuring financial viability and profitability for team promoters and Owners, Sponsors and Merchandising associates alike. 

Fans in India also prove to be an interesting mix, with each being a loyal audience to a specific sport. With the formation and popularization of different Sporting leagues in India, there is now an increased opportunity for young talent at the grassroots level to showcase themselves at global Franchise platforms like IPL, PKL, Volleyball League, etc. These leagues have offered immense exposure to not just Indian players but also to some international sporting legends. Impressive growth in viewership of sports other than cricket also provides a glimpse of our potential to be a multiple sports nation. Further, growing female viewership across the different sports, and an acceptance of ‘rurban’ sports and increasing digital on-the-go sports consumption are boosting revenue opportunities for broadcasters and sponsors alike.

To further help us all understand the nuances on how Brands of today are riding on the Band wagon of sports and conversing with their Audiences, The Bengal Chamber organised its Marketing Conclave titled “The Business of Sports” wherein The Bengal Chamber invited respected and celebrated Business and Marketing Professionals who have heavily invested in India’s Sporting ecosystem and some leading brands who like AMUL, Boost, The Tata group, etc who are by themselves heavily invested into Sports. 

The summit witnessed the participation of eminent Business Leaders from the domain of Sports and Brands who have helped create brand value for various sports — Sundar Raman (former COO, IPL); Joy Bhattacharya (CEO, Professional Volleyball League and former COO, Kolkata Knight Riders); Joseph Eapen (CEO, MyGov.In); Sunando Dhar (deputy secretary general, AIFF); Mukul Chaudhuri (Chief of Sports, Tata Steel); Joydeep Karmakar, Olympian shooter; Sumedh Patodia, Team Director, Kolkata Thunderbolts; Mr Pawan Patodia (Chairman, Kolkata Thunderbolts) and others.

Delivering the Welcome Address, Mr Abraham G. Stephanos, President- BCC&I, and Managing Director, Tata Steel Downstream Products Limited said the sports industry has changed fundamentally in India over the past 20 years, especially in India. "Today, sports is not just an active platform for marketing and creating branding opportunities for corporates investing in sports, but also creating value for fans across the country," he said in his opening address.

Olympian Joydeep Karmakar and Mukul Choudhari, Chief of Sports Centres, Tata Steel and CEO—Jamshedpur Football Club, shared how major developments can be brought to the sports industry in India through branding and marketing strategies.

Talking in the Inaugural  Session, Olympian Joydeep Karmakar said - “I am a hardcore athlete. But in my sport, we have hardly seen sponsors in our life. There are also no leagues. This is one of the best performing sports in India that brings medals. But there is a lack of monetisation and sponsors. So today I am hopeful that the minds here will find a solution for these sports that are yet to be monetised,”.

Speaking in a Fireside Chat Session, Joy Bhattacharya and Sundar Raman discussed responsible advertising, players as brands, and brand building in sports and restructuring marketing strategies over the years, especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

“In earlier days, when IPL was only on pen and paper, I was in conversation with the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) on how this can be a million-dollar property but little did I realise that it was a million-dollar property. I was offered to lead and I spent more than 10 years here. It was odd to see that the players were getting less for playing the game but more for starring between the overs. We had to structure that model and get the team brands so that the players could focus more on the game,” said Sundar Raman, the former COO of IPL.

The discussion further focused on the games that are not very popular among the audience. Explaining why popular sports gain popularity, Mr Joy Bhattacharya opined that while a game like cricket or football is thrilling to watch on TV, other games need to be made watchable on the television to restructure how viewers perceive it. He focused on how branding plays a very important role here because the presentation of the game is important. He also shared how the Prime Volleyball League was turned into an entertaining and engaging sport on television.

A Panel Discussion was also held with Amaan Khan, global vice-president, Unilever; Moitrayee Dutta, head of advertising and media planning, Amul; Arunabha Banerjee, director, Alliance Broadband, Sunando Dhar, deputy secretary general, AIFF; and Sumedh Patodia, team director, Kolkata Thunderbolts.

The Panel was Moderated by Chandradeep Mitra, strategy coach and mentor for Start Ups & Entrepreneurs, branding & innovation consultant.

The discussion focused on each speakerֹ’s expertise in their respective field of work, changing faces of communication, changing faces of brands, influencer marketing, millennial consumers etc.

The conclave was anchored by Sumit Lai Roy, founder and director, UnivBrands who engaged the audience through quizzes and interactive games. A question-answer session followed after each address and discussion.