IPL follow through: Run into Growth of Sportainment in India

The commercial dynamics of sport and entertainment are more intertwined than ever before. ‘Sportainment’ – a term initially coined by Vincent Kennedy McMahon, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and founder of Alpha Entertainment, which is the holding company of the American football league known as the XFL, holds a perfect combination of sports, business, games and fun. The term which was initially used to describe the business of WWE primarily to potential advertisers, went ahead to be associated with other sporting spectacles which presented an apparently competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the prime purpose of entertaining an audience. In the process, the occasion presented a business opportunity for investors and stake holders while attracting hordes of brands with a proposition to reach out to a larger audience.

The grand success of Indian Premier League (IPL) which debuted in 2008 and its gradual growth steered not just the T20 cricket boom across the nation but also opened the sluice-gates for the Sportainment industry in India. The glitz and glitter, the razzmatazz, active engagement and endorsements by bollywood stars & celebrities, cheer leaders, after parties, live wire action straight from the pitch, thanks to the hawk-eye cams and players chit-chat with the commentators while fielding in the boundary line or slips, the IPL magnificently managed to transform not just the game of cricket but other sports too. The format and everything around it modernized games like Badminton, Wrestling, Kabaddi, Hockey initiating a new era of sporting events and trends.

The biggest tribute to the multi-million dollar IPL in India’s otherwise uneven sporting landscape is the successful launch and functioning of a professional league in kabaddi, largely seen as a rural rustic sport. The match timings are attuned to attracting primetime viewership thus enabling advertising and marketing calendars built around the sportainment events like IPL, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and Premier Badminton League and brand spends are orchestrated to match the sporting leagues surging connect with widespread audience.

As per a KPMG report “the business of sports”, engaging fans through social media, increasing online consumptions of sports, growing rural viewership and the viewership of the not-so-interested-in-sports including the fairer sex were factors driving sportainment sector in India.

Product Innovation And Adaptation Is The Key
The sports format was structured such that it engages with the audiences while the content presentation was set to be appealing and gripping. The younger consumer base has responded well to this innovation and adaptation.

These made-for-TV sports-properties, conceptualised with teams representing various cities, appealed to the emotional and social aspect of the individual’s sense of belonging and attachment to a city and garnered support and loyalty for the ‘Home Teams’. These helped the advertisers to profile and segment the regional market and run a campaign based on the viewership patterns.

Along with the national viewership the participation of star international players in tournaments like IPL and PBL contributed a slice of global viewership too. The efforts started paying dividends to promoters’ long term game plan in sportainment in India.

According to reports:
• Total PBL viewership pegged at 77.74 million in 2017-18 which was a 50-60% jump in viewership year-on-year on TV with 33.8 million unique viewers watching the league.
• Over 316 million impressions were registered in 1st week of PKL 2017, which was more than cricket viewership in India.
• The PWL 3 reached over 85 crore viewers across India in over 36 hrs.
• 31years to 50 years age group had the maximum viewership, followed by the 15-30 years age group. 39-44% has been the female viewership.

WIN-WIN SITUATION
Beyond the commercial aspects, sportainment properties have been a tremendous boost for the otherwise sports loving nation and promising players from various sports. The opportunity which these events have opened up for youngsters today is tremendous. For aspiring players of the sport it is a platform to show cases their talents and an opportunity to sweat it out with their favourite dream player in the field and also chat with the role model in the dressing room and while earning a decent remuneration. The competitive environment and professional set up, at par with any international event, also provides extensive learning and is a huge motivation to the young aspiring player.

About the Author: Prof. Dhananjay Singh is faculty of Marketing Management at IMT Hyderabad. His research and teaching interests include personal branding, brand management, rural marketing and succession planning in family business. Apart from imparting management education to MBA students, PGDM Executives and MDPs he has been an avid cricketer and quiz master. He passionately follows IPL and EPL. His intellectual contribution includes research articles, book reviews, case studies and research articles.