India vs China: Which Is The More Favourable Market To Invest In Sports?

Having massive sports markets with a huge millennial population, India and China today are the perfect wells of sports related investments in Asia.

At the SPIA ASIA 17 conference here in Thailand, prominent speakers from both the countries debated the sporting potential in both the countries.

“While both the countries fare poorly when it comes to ease of doing business, the potential in the sports market is huge. China is set to reach an $800 million sports industry by 2023”, said Claude Ringuet, Asia Pacific head, Nielsen Sports.

While China’s growth trajectory looks better than India, the latter fares better when it comes to the sports sponsorship market. Take for example the latest IPL auctions in India which set new benchmarks, unprecedented in nature. Star India bagged the media rights for about ₹16,000 crore.

On the digital and OTT front, China is being seen as a front runner when compared with India, however India has seen a 21% growth in people interested in sports in the last 3 years compared to 19% in India making India a close contender in the OTT sports content consumption market.

Mr. Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor in Chief, BW Businessworld pointed out how non cricket sports in India are gaining popularity over the past few years. Owner of the Delhi pro wrestling league franchise, Anurag said, “Kabaddi and Wrestling are the two new upcoming sensations in India as the non cricketing sports market grows”.

It seems difficult to compare the sports markets in India and China since both seem at par. The decider will be the millennial population and the mindset it carries. Certainly though, both the countries have a huge potential ahead of them, especially with respect to the investment in sports.