Gen Z wants more than cricket from sports entertainment, looks for engagement

Rise Worldwide, the sports management arm of Reliance Industries that manages athletes and media rights, among other things, is looking to capitalise on this shift. Its non-cricket business, although small, has been expanding sharply over the past two years, Nikhil Bardia, head of Rise Worldwide, told Mint while explaining how companies are adapting to new fan behaviour and the growing demand for sports content beyond cricket.

The company, which manages about a dozen top cricket stars including Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, also has merchandising and digital advertising divisions. Its non-cricket vertical has grown from 5-7% of revenue a few years ago to almost 11% now. 

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Revenue from football, Olympic sports, gaming, and lifestyle collaborations have risen by about 50% over the past two years, Bardia said. In March, the company tied up with Manchester City to represent the Premier League club in India, aiming to build brand tie-ups and expand its local fanbase. Last year, it teamed up with Blast Esports, a company that organises e-sports events, to launch a joint venture to develop e-sports in the country.

Rise Worldwide, which competes with JSW Sports, among others, is building partnerships with organisations across football, rugby, and Olympic disciplines and has teamed up with tyre brand BKT, which sponsors La Liga and Six Nations rugby. It has also helped IndusInd Bank enter the Paralympics space.

These advertisers, Bardia said, now want to be more immersive and experience-led when it comes to their fans and don’t just want to rely on regular advertising.

“We understand the fan landscape well now and can identify unique opportunities across different sports and formats,” he said.

Changing consumption

Bardia added Gen Z’s changing content consumption habits are central to this evolution.

“Digital-first fandom is what fans now engage in. They primarily follow and interact with sports through online platforms and social media rather than traditional media. They want to connect with athletes as people, not just as players,” he said.

This digital shift has also influenced the way brands approach sports marketing.

“Modern sports fans are savvy – they can tell when a partnership is forced or purely transactional. Brands want to tell stories that resonate on a human level—not just logos on jerseys,” he said.

Non-cricket sports are still gaining traction in India, though. According to GroupM’s recent report Sporting Nation, Building a Legacy, released in April, viewership and engagement for these sports remain in the early stages and do not yet command advertising rates comparable to cricket’s prime-time events.

Overall sports sponsorship grew 6% year-on-year, exceeding ₹16,633 crore last year. Athlete endorsements reached a record ₹1,224 crore in 2024, up 32% from ₹927 crore in 2023, driven not only by cricket but also by emerging sports, with stars Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu and Manu Bhaker leading a 46% rise in non-cricket endorsements.

The Olympic momentum boosted sponsorships for emerging sports, which rose 19% to ₹2,461 crore from ₹2,065 crore in 2023. Distance running alone accounted for a quarter of this market.

Cricketers, athletes as partners

Cricket, however, remains the biggest contributor. A major shift is in the way athlete-brand relationships are structured, Bardia added. Increasingly, players are not just endorsers—they are co-creators and equity partners.

“We are encouraging our players to move from simple endorsement deals to equity partnerships and strategic investments to ensure there is continuity with fans and, of course, a legacy of the athlete that can be carried forward,” Bardia said.

Sports events and team rights owners are also moving away from one-off deals in favour of long-term brand partnerships, added Bardia, which help build fan loyalty and ensure sustained value for both parties.

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Bowler Jasprit Bumrah is involved in designing travel gear with luggage company Uppercase where they’re creating a brand identity together. Cricketer Shreyas Iyer’s tie-up with fashion label Huemn merges his interest in sports and street-style clothing.

Recently, cricketer Hardik Pandya co-created performance wear with streaming platform FanCode based on the gear he actually trains with. Indian ODI team skipper Rohit Sharma partnered with Marico-owned True Elements to launch his co-owned breakfast and snack brand, RS by True Elements, last October.

Rise Worldwide continues to expand its digital ad inventory in cricket, managing virtual advertising rights for the England and Wales Cricket Board and working with Cricket Australia.

In financial terms, Rise Worldwide reported revenue of ₹158.7 crore in FY24, a 14.6% increase from ₹138.5 crore in FY23. Profit after tax rose 88% to ₹23.11 crore.