As Indian sports viewers' appetite for other sports grows, advertisers and broadcasters are "seeing value in putting their money behind new formats and leagues," according to Gouri Shah of LIVE MINT. Sports sponsorship in India grew 12.3% to Rs 5,185.4 crore ($779.4M) in '15 from Rs 4,616.5 crore in the previous year, according to the ESP Properties-SportzPower report released in Mumbai on Tuesday. This accounted for 10.4% of the "total Indian ad expenditure in 2015, as reported by GroupM." ESP Properties Business Head Vinit Karnik said, "There is definitely a cultivated sense of understanding between the corporate sponsors, sports teams and federations. A symbiotic marketing relationship has emerged within the sporting ecosystem in India." Ground sponsorships grew 30% to Rs 1,030.5 crore in '15, the study found. Interestingly, "the gap between cricket and non-cricket sports was marginal in terms of how much they brought to the table in this segment." Of the total ground sponsorship spend, "cricket accounted for 51%, while non-cricket sports accounted for 49% of the overall ground sponsorship pie." The property grew 13.9% in '15 to contribute Rs 529.5 crore. Beyond that, football ground sponsorships grew 91.6% to Rs 114 crore in '15. The Pro Kabaddi League "grew fourfold as revenue expanded" to Rs 48 crore in '15, "despite the absence of a title sponsor." On-air sponsorships grew 6.8% to Rs 2,690 crore in '15. This was "on the back of key properties," such as the Indian Premier League, which pulled in approximately Rs 800 crore for broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India. While the ICC Cricket World Cup fetched Rs 500 crore for broadcaster Star Sports, the Indian Super League got Rs 100 crore for the channel. Overall team sponsorships grew 13% to Rs 558.2 crore. In the sports endorsement deals, the overall pie grew by 27% to Rs 416.4 crore. Of this, cricket accounted for Rs 264.4 crore, while endorsements with int'l athletes grew to Rs 110 crore. Other sports raked in Rs 42 crore in endorsements (LIVE MINT, 4/6).
