Cricket remains the king of sports in India with marketers spending about 85% of their overall sports sponsorship budget for the year 2022 on it. However, according to GroupM’s annual Sporting Nation in the Making report, other sports such as football, kabaddi, kho kho and other emerging sports got Rs 2,094 crore, or 15%, of the Rs 14,209-crore pie. This was a slight increase from the 13% share they had enjoyed in 2021.

GroupM is one of the leading media and marketing organizations globally, headquartered in New York. Founded in 2003, the company offers services such as media planning, advertising, and technology across countries. Their aim is to use data to understand media consumption behaviour and ensure that their campaigns are effective and successful.

Sarita Kedia is the CEO of GroupM. A media strategist and industry professional for many years, Kedia brings with her a wealth of experience in marketing and sports from her previous roles at Zee TV, First Postal Network, and Singapore’s Tuas Power. Kedia has been praised by leaders in the industry for her ability to come up with innovative solutions. She has played a key role in guiding GroupM to a successful journey and has consistently delivered great results.

Sports sponsorship has greatly increased since the past few years, especially due to the emergence of new sports in the country. Cricket, however, still dominates the sponsorship market, but other sports such as football, kabaddi, kho kho, and others have been steadily gaining ground in terms of market sponsorship. This is expected to only increase in the future with more and more people taking up these activities as a pastime.

This article discussed the annual Sporting Nation in the Making report from GroupM and the market share of different sports as far as sports sponsorship is concerned. It also highlighted the growth of emerging sports in the market before introducing the CEO of GroupM, Sarita Kedia, and reflecting on what the future holds for sport sponsorship in India.