India’s massive sports market, with 655 million sports fans, is growing fast, and it presents an opportunity for all brands to tap into the potential and win new customers.
Already, India’s $52 billion sports sector is sprinting towards its goal of becoming one of the world’s top five sports powerhouses by 2047. Its market value is set to grow at a 14% compound annual rate – twice the global sports market’s growth pace, and almost double that of India’s GDP growth rate – to reach $130 billion by 2030.
The rapid expansion is fuelled by rising government investment, the people’s embrace of healthier lifestyles, widespread digital adoption, and an increase in quality content for various sports.
The growth is also driven by sports-related consumption trends, two of which stand out for advertisers.
First, consumers, whose discretionary spending is set to double by 2030,1 are more willing to spend on sports.2 Second, the majority of Indian sports fans – and as high as 71% for Gen Z – say they made a purchase based on ads they saw while consuming sports content.3
These trends present opportunities for all brands, sports-related or not, to win new and existing customers in India.
So Google partnered with Deloitte to conduct research on Indians’ love for sports and their sports-viewing preferences, to help marketers better engage them. Here are two key insights on sports fans from the research, which brands can tap into to connect more deeply with audiences.
Indian fans are diverse and love a wide range of sports
India’s fan base is as diverse as it gets. Fans come from both genders, all ages, and from every part of the country.
India’s diverse fan base spans:
Indian fans also love many sports beyond cricket, with 90% of Indian fans now consuming content for two or more sports.4
Kabaddi and football, for example, each have about 100 million fans, while sports like Kho-Kho, hockey, football, and badminton also have strong followings.
Other popular sports include fantasy sports and esports, which attract 220 million users and have a fast-growing market value that’s set to double to $2 billion by 2030.
What this means for marketers: The diverse backgrounds and sporting interests of India’s 655 million sports fans means countless opportunities for all brands to engage existing and new customers at scale.
By making your campaigns relevant to the interests and demographics of different fan audiences, you can build meaningful connections with them as customers and win their consideration.
Fans seek immersive sports content on digital channels
In a country of over 700 million smartphone users, 90% of Indian consumers now engage with sports content digitally.5
Fans engage with sports content across digital formats, and their growing use of digital channels like Google Search is reflected in the 4X increase in search interest for sports-related terms from 2019 to 2023.6 In fact, 50% of fans say they started following a sport after coming across related digital sports content.7
And all these fans are seeking more high-quality, immersive sports content that they can enjoy any time, not just during live matches. This non-live and off-season content can include behind-the-scenes footage, player interviews, and commentators’ blogs or podcasts.
Such content provides entertaining and immersive experiences for fans, who increasingly watch sports events on dual screens, with 93% of Gen Z fans using a second screen to explore related sports content while watching live matches.8
Sports fans also engage with sports beyond the live event, spending 20% more time on non-live content than on live sports events.9 Another 42% of fans engage several times a week with sports content even after the season is over.10 And fans said they would be more likely to engage with sports content during the off-season if they were presented with high-quality content.
India’s fans seek quality, non-live content beyond the sports season:
What this means for marketers: All brands can engage India’s digital sports viewers and grow their customer base by showing up with relevant ads as sports fans conduct searches for quality sports content. Brands can also connect with fans wherever they spend time immersed in sports content.
Our research shows Indian fans divide their attention between three to four channels at a time — from cable TV to social media platforms and sports websites — when consuming sports content.11
So it’s important for brands to meet fans with ad campaigns on the channels where they stay the longest. And the top digital platform that sports fans use is YouTube,12 which 89% of viewers in India agree has the top sports content.13
Reach sports fans on the digital platform where they’re most engaged
On YouTube, which two in three Indian fans use to watch sports content,14 brands can advertise against any mix of sports to connect with highly-engaged audiences.
Marketers like you can drive awareness and consideration for your products by tapping into YouTube sports content such as cricket-related videos, which garner over 50 billion views in a year.15
Or you can deepen brand connections with fans as they immerse themselves in YouTube’s growing universe of non-live sports content in different formats, including sports-related movies, documentaries, web series, and YouTube Shorts.
And with AI-powered ads solutions like affinity audiences, your ad can reach fans who have signalled an interest in certain sports, and drive consideration of your products with them.
You can also create co-branded YouTube ads content by partnering with sports creators or teams with many followers. The India Super League’s YouTube channel, for example, has 2.3 million subscribers and garnered 855 million views from football fans.16
That can be an effective way to win fans’ consideration, since up to 85% of fans are more likely to consider brands endorsed by their favourite athletes.17
How Swiggy and OLX Autos engaged sports fans to win results
For non-sports brands like quick commerce platform Swiggy and used car dealer OLX Autos, engaging India’s sports fans with digital marketing campaigns was an obvious way to grow their business.
Swiggy wanted to boost new user engagement and order volume so it tapped into the major sporting moment of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It ran six commercials on YouTube with gamified banners, encouraging fans to mark their favourite teams’ milestones by ordering from its food or grocery delivery services to earn “runs” – or in-app rewards – on matchdays.
As for OLX Autos, it opted for Google ads solutions when it wanted to boost its reach with potential customers, many of whom are cricket fans.
Throughout the IPL season, OLX Autos ran a Search ads campaign with a cricket API that tracked key match moments like boundaries and centuries.
That allowed it to deliver timely IPL-themed ads to high-intent audiences, reminding them to consider “OLXtraaa prices” when selling their cars. The campaign scored a 3X increase in click-through rate and 36% incremental reach.
For brands looking to tap India’s huge sports market potential, having insight into fans’ behaviours and showing up for their love of diverse sports on platforms like YouTube and Search can be a strategic game-changer.
Contributors: Omkar Bhat, Youtube Ads Marketing; Prabhanshu Pandey, Industry Manager; Sanchit Mehta, Strategy and Insights
