ESP properties, the entertainment and sports division of GroupM, released its 2019 report on sports sponsorship in India. As per the report, overall sports sponsorship saw a growth of 12% in 2018 and sports advertising grew to Rs. 7762 crore. 2018 saw a 22% growth in Athlete Brand Endorsement Value, the report said.
Of the Rs 482 crore ($71Mn) spent by brands on sports stars acquisitions, 81% was accounted just by
India’s most popular sport. Two cricketers alone, Virat Kohli and M S Dhoni, pulled in 66% of all athlete endorsement monies spent by Indian brands last year.
Virat Kohli leads from the front touching an endorsement value of approximately Rs 200 Crore. Pusarla Sindhu was third on the list. The report finds that 2018 also saw major growths in IPL team sponsorships, which crossed Rs 300 crore ($44Mn) for the first time.
Kabbadi had a good year in 2018 registering an overall growth of 31% over the previous year. 85% (Rs 3,779 crore) of all advertising expenditures in sports happened on TV in 2018.
