It is clear by now that 2020 has been a hugely challenging year all around. It doesn’t matter which domain, there’s no possible sector that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t touched. But if you’re a sports fan, there’s no doubt that you’ve probably spent the past three months eagerly awaiting that nail-biting winning run on the cricket field during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match or that high-octane football clash. With much awaited tournaments like Wimbledon too being cancelled this year and with uncertainty hanging over the IPL and T20 World Cup, 2020 has so far been a gloomy year for sports enthusiasts.
However, in the past two months, with tournaments like Germany’s Bundesliga and the English Premier League under way, and with the West Indies’ tour of England off to a thrilling start, all may not be lost for sports fans yet. But how soon can India get in on the action? And when can Indian fans see their favourite sports stars back on the field?
THE COVID-19 IMPACT
Much like other industries, the Indian sports ecosystem finds itself confronting a future of uncertainty. The cancellation of both the cricket World Cup and IPL will have a serious impact on cricket economics for this year. According to a report released in May this year by Sundar Raman, former COO of the IPL, cricket accounts for 85% of the Indian sports economy. In the event that the IPL is cancelled this year, the BCCI has stated that it is looking at a huge revenue loss of $530 million or more. According to a report by India Today, IPL broadcaster Star India could well be staring at losses of Rs 3269.50 crore this year if the IPL is called off.
According to the seventh edition of ‘Sporting Nation in the Making’, the report from GroupM India’s entertainment and sports division, ESP Properties, the business of sports in India is seeing a strong CAGR of 12.8% over the past 10 years with the sports industry growing at 17% in 2019 alone. The current pandemic has become a speed-breaker of sorts for the sector, compelling stakeholders across the sporting landscape in India to become more nimble-footed and to innovate in terms of engaging with fans and keeping the momentum going.
Kartikeya Sharma, Founder, Pro Sportify, that owns properties like the Pro Wrestling League and The Great India Run, talks about the current situation facing the Indian sports business: “The sports sector is one of the worst affected as it has lost a significant amount of revenues with all activities halted. Indian and international wrestlers are eagerly waiting for the next season of the Pro Wrestling League, a platform that has helped Indian players to win medals at the Olympics. Once the Pro Wrestling League and Big Bout League start, the sporting quotient will be high. We will create an ecosystem that will allow spectators to enjoy the game in a controlled environment,” says Sharma. Apart from this, Pro Sportify will launch the Indian Arena Polo League.
A NEW PLAYING FIELD
Broadcast players have perhaps been the hardest hit during the past few months, with live sporting action coming to a complete halt. Star Sports has worked to fill the void for sports fans, bringing out a programming mixed bag of nostalgia that includes some iconic games and performances. For cricket fans, the channel has launched its flagship show Cricket Connected, which features both current and former Indian cricket players express their views on the lockdown, offer fitness tips and share glimpses of their lives at home. 
The channel has also kept fans of Kabaddi, Formula One and IPL engaged with special programming, and with off-the-field and behind-the-scenes action from earlier seasons. Football fans, however, now have some reason to celebrate as the Bundesliga, Germany’s football tournament, was the first major league to bounce back into action. The English Premier League, hugely popular among Indian football fans, also kicked off on June 23, bringing much cheer to both fans and the broadcaster, Star Sports (as well as Disney+ Hotstar).
The Spanish league (La Liga), the English FA (Football Association) Cup and the Italian league (Serie A) are also back, albeit in empty stadiums and in extraordinary circumstances. On the cricket front too, the West Indies tour of England is under way with one Test match already wrapped up. Cricket South Africa too held a special Solidarity Cup that saw 24 of South Africa’s top cricketers in three teams, playing two halves in one match. In the US too, the NBA is set to begin by the end of July.
During the lockdown, broadcasters like Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) in fact saw a growth in viewership on account of its WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) content in April. “Sony Pictures Sports Network had continued showing live content for WWE as well as UFC and launched WWE blockbusters @8 on Sony Ten 1 & Sony Ten 3, which was supported by a massive marketing campaign. Due to this, our viewership grew by 30% during the month of April.
The South markets, particularly, showed high affinity towards the new WWE blockbuster content and experienced 40% growth. We are home to football in India and started showing live football matches every night - Serie A live from June 20, followed by FA Cup that returned on June 27,” says Neville Bastawalla, Head-Marketing & On Air Promotions, Sports Channels, Sony Pictures Networks India.
The network is also preparing for the return of both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League in August. The network also has exclusive rights for the ongoing West Indies tour of England.
Bastawalla points out that the resumption of live sports has seen the reappearance of advertisers on their channels. Brands like Amul,
Apple, Skoda, ITC deodorants, Playgames 24x7, Maruti Suzuki India, Bharti Airtel, MPL and Amazon Prime are already on board, thereby indicating a definite upswing in advertiser interest. 
The resumption of live sporting action in other parts of the world is definitely an encouraging sign for the Indian sports fraternity, notes Sundar Raman, CEO Sports, Reliance Industries (former IPL COO).
“Adversity often brings out the best in people and like any other crisis, we must use this time to explore new ways to keep the growth and momentum going. One of the big learnings from this time has been the need to use non-season time more effectively, to keep fan engagement and interest sustained even when the leagues are not happening.
We have seen social media platforms benefit from engagement between players and fans during the lockdown. Leagues like the ISL and IPL must explore ways to leverage and monetise this during the off-season time. Broadcasters too should look at exploring the OTT space to create more engagement and drive fan interest during non-season times,” notes Raman.
Given that this is the off-season for sports in India, the industry has some time to watch and learn from the leagues that are already back in action. If all goes well, industry experts believe that India may well see its popular sports properties make a comeback by September.
There are already conversations about the return of IPL in a month or two, and there are reports of the BCCI considering an alternative location like UAE for the tournament.
Explaining how India can best utilise this off-season time to watch and learn, Vinit Karnik, Business Head, ESP Properties, GroupM says, “We will have three months to learn from the developed markets/leagues in terms of what measures they are taking, securing the players, testing and social distancing protocol, etc., as well as technology advancements that will be implemented considering these live sports will happen behind closed doors. It will be interesting to see the fan engagement and experience being played out.”
FAN ENGAGEMENT IS PRIME
The need to create engaging content that involves both players and fans has never been more important than in these challenging times. Social media and digital now play a big role in keeping fans and sports personalities connected. Satish Menon, CEO of Kings XI Punjab, explains, “We actually engage with most of our players. 
We take our key players and create fan interactions. We have an average of 3-4 posts a day going out virtually.” While he adds that this cannot match the excitement of live content, it has helped in keeping spirits high of late.
While advertisers usually leverage big sporting events to connect with consumers, they can also use this off-season time to build greater visibility for themselves by creating relevant content with sports stars. Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer & Head – Products, IDBI Federal Life Insurance says,
“At IDBI Federal, we believe that health is the best insurance a person can have. We have recently joined hands with NEB Sports and renowned sportspersons Pullela Gopichand,
Ashwini Nachappa and Malathi Holla for a unique run called ‘Run to the Moon’ to raise funds for coaches and sports staff who have been badly affected during the lockdown.
The run on July 21, 2020 marks the 51st anniversary of man’s landing on the moon in 1969. We have received a tremendous response with over 10,000 runners signing up to be a part of this run,” he says.
He adds that the relationship between brands and sports will remain largely unaffected by the current situation, because sports continues to have that magic, which keeps fans engaged.
Analysing the current scenario for sports in India, Mohit Burman, Co-owner, Kings XI Punjab, says, “Through digitisation and other technologies, people sitting at home can be made to experience the game as if they are watching live from the stadium. In fact, South Africa’s virtual Comrades Marathon saw an epic
participation from across the world, and 128 from India alone. As far as on-ground events go, the BCCI will definitely restart tournaments like the IPL when there is an opportunity.” However, Burman adds that a lot of things will have to be taken into consideration, especially from the player safety standpoint,
before the IPL can happen.
Unlike the situation with IPL, the Indian Super League (ISL) was fortunate to wrap up its season before the lockdown with minimal disruptions. For teams across the league, the time has come to now re-look at sponsor deliverables and brand partnerships, especially since spectators will not be allowed in stadiums for some time. Rubina Dhillon, Head - Marketing & Sponsorships, FC Goa explains how the club has had to go back to the drawing board and analyse the value it has generated for sponsor partners.
TIME TO CALL PLAY
By Boria Majumdar
Sports journalist and author
With a formula in place and with live sports resuming in different parts of the world, the sports industry will soon start to take baby steps back to normalcy
There were serious apprehensions. There still are. However, we have indeed started to see some rays at the end of the tunnel. Or so it seems. When the Bundesliga restarted mid-May, the first such league to do so, I as a fan was far more nervous than the Dortmund players who stepped out on the pitch on Day One. It was not because I was supporting them. No, I wasn’t. I was supporting sport and just did not want sport to put the wrong step forward. Thankfully for us all, Germany showed the way and thereafter Spain, Italy and the UK followed. The world’s major football leagues have all restarted and some are already nearing completion.
Cricket, which was silently waiting on the boundary, has finally walked out to bat. And yet again a billion of us watching in all parts of the world were praying that nothing should go wrong in Southampton on July 8. Thankfully it was a Test match to remember and cricket, it has to be said, made a better than expected comeback.
Tennis too will restart soon and a host of other sports will follow. Interestingly, some countries that have the virus under control have also started to consider allowing a modicum of fans back into stadiums. Australia, for example, will allow 25% fans back starting September this year. Roland Garros too has promised to do the same.
In fact, we now know what is right and what is not. We know there can be a failed experiment despite the best of intentions, like the one conducted by Novak Djokovic. We also know that it can be done right like it was in Southampton. We now have a template and that’s the big takeaway from the last month or so. With a formula in place, the sports industry will soon start to
