MAM
Indian sports sponsorship grew by 17% to Rs 9k cr in 2019: GroupM’s ESP Properties
MUMBAI: In 2019, the overall sports sponsorship industry grew by 17 per cent to Rs 9000 crore, says a report released by ESP Properties – the entertainment and sports division of GroupM India.
The 2020 report on sports sponsorship mentions that last year cricket dominated sports advertising sector grew unanimously due to International Cricket Council 2019 World Cup and IPL 2019. Both these events gave a major push in on-ground sponsorship and media spends.
For the first time ever, the on-ground sponsorship grew by 25 per cent to Rs 2000 crore. Whereas, the overall industry upsurge was Rs 1347 crore, of which Rs 800 crore was contributed by media spends alone with a growth of 18 per cent in 2019.
The report says, “TV continues to grow as the biggest medium for ad spends in sports, brands are also having a clear digital plan along with a presence on TV to build a rapport with their consumers by reaching out to them in more ways than one.”
The digital advertising in 2019 grew by 87 per cent to Rs 875 crore from Rs 475 crore. In this regard, the report points out that the engagement and interactivity are important elements of consumer marketing, and digital technology can be leveraged well to give differentiated solutions to sports lovers.
ESP Properties’ business head Vinit Karnik said: “Going forward, we see a strong CAGR of 12.8 per cent in the sports’ business over the last 10 years, making it one of the strong pillars of the Indian economy.”
Karnik expects, “With the sports industry growing at 17 per cent in 2019, the momentum on sports with added thrust from the government provides a holistic opportunity for the sector. Similarly, initiatives like Khelo India and Fit India movement are drivers towards making India a truly sporting nation.”
Meanwhile, GroupM South Asia’s chief executive officer Prasanth Kumar said, “The sports industry has been witnessing a significant upward shift in the overall ad spends. The passion and excitement that’s involved in this platform have only strengthened.”
He further added, “We see more and diverse audience indulging with this platform. Many innovations and leverage of assets in this space are powerful opportunities. As we are unfolding another decade, we see this space to be providing powerful thrust for greater brand stories.”
The report also mentions that the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) saw double the jump in sports sponsorship amounts in the home series deals. Paytm’s bid stood at 58 per cent incremental value as compared to the previous per match value.
Dream11, Lafarge Holcim (ACC Cement and Ambuja Cement), Hyundai will be the official sponsors for the next four years. The three sponsors will layout 73 per cent to Rs 2.59 crore per match more than the previous round, the report added.
The endorsement industry grew by 11 per cent where cricketers contributed the most yet again validating the point that sports leagues and celebrity endorsements go hand in hand. At least 70 new brand endorsement deals happened in 2019 alone, of which 50 were done by cricketers.
While Indian skipper Virat Kohli has 85 per cent of total brand endorsements, MS Dhoni has bagged 63 per cent of the total endorsements. In all, 329 endorsement deals took place in 2019, of which 228 brands signed up with cricketers.
The non-cricketing space was dominated by women athletes, wherein Badminton player PV Sindhu was leading the athlete in 2019 in terms of brand endorsements. Sindhu added four brands to her portfolio, one of them was with VISA that made her first Indian athlete to endorse the financial services brand.
Mary Kom was another prominent name in the list of brand endorsers, who added four brands to her tally. Sprinter Hima Das and Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik had also marked their names in brand endorsements. In all, the women athletes added 11 new brands in 2019, taking up the tally to 45.
Brands
Atomberg unveils AC rotary compressor technology at Acrex 2026
Move marks entry into Hvac components with India built solution
MUMBAI: Atomberg Technologies has unveiled a new air conditioner rotary compressor technology at Acrex India 2026, signalling the company’s entry into the Hvac components space and expanding its engineering capabilities beyond consumer appliances.
The compressor has been developed by the company’s B2B engineering arm, Atomberg Innovation Private Limited, which focuses on building engineering solutions for the consumer durables and Hvac ecosystem.
Designed and manufactured in India, the rotary compressor is built for 1.5 tonne air conditioners and integrates high efficiency motor technology with improved noise, vibration and harshness performance. The system also complies with Indian regulatory standards, positioning it as a locally developed alternative in a segment often reliant on imports.
The development marks Atomberg’s latest step in expanding its technology portfolio into Hvac component systems while continuing its push towards indigenous innovation in appliance engineering.
Atomberg Technologies founder and chief executive officer Manoj Meena, said the launch reflects the company’s evolution from appliance innovation to deeper engineering solutions. “Our journey began with reimagining everyday appliances through technologies such as BLDC motors. Today we are building advanced engineering solutions in India, including this AC rotary compressor, as we expand into the Hvac ecosystem,” he said.
Atomberg Innovation operates as an end to end original design manufacturing partner, developing solutions that include motor technologies, integrated drive systems, embedded control platforms and manufacturing capabilities. Its portfolio spans technologies such as air conditioning motors, motor drivers based on field oriented control algorithms, solar tracker motors and drone motors.
The company’s engineering infrastructure covers the full product lifecycle, from electronics design and digital twin modelling to testing and manufacturing through in house facilities such as SMT lines, motor assembly units and automated production systems. This integrated setup allows some products to move from concept to production in as little as three months.
By combining vertically integrated manufacturing with engineering led design, Atomberg aims to strengthen India’s capabilities in advanced appliance components while supporting the broader push for domestic technology development and reduced dependence on imports.
