Mumbai: Over 99 per cent of sports games in the world have no form of coverage. Live coverage of sports is expensive and extremely difficult. A traditional broadcasting setup involves heavy investment in hardware, OB vans, and other resources. This makes digitizing local games difficult and results in no visibility for local talent. That is where SportVot comes in.
SportVot is a platform that provides an online channel to live stream sports games and help discover sports talent from the grassroots of India. SportVot enables streaming with the least amount of resources and provides a rich layer of tools that help you edit, analyze and share videos across channels.
The SportVot studio lets one add TV grade graphics, automated advertisements, interactive commentary, create automated highlights, add replays all using your smartphone. SportVot's target market is the 99 per cent of the sports matches that are not streamed, about 250k official sports tournaments that take place annually amounting to about five million matches in India alone.
There are two primary revenue drivers for SportVot: the first is streaming subscriptions and value-added services. Streaming subscriptions are purchased by organizers and clubs for using the streaming services. Users either stream independently or opt for the value-added service with professional camera assistance. And the second revenue driver is of course through advertisements and sponsorships, which include monetisation of the video and player data.
Indiantelevision.com chatted with SportVot co-founder Shubhangi Gupta wherein she spoke about the company’s journey, making grassroots-level sports accessible, and more.
Gupta is a marketing and branding executive with around seven years of experience. She has developed around 40+ brands including some marquee brands like Fortune Oil, Tata Foods, Imagica, etc. She also had two other startups in the past. One is named EthKnits, a handicraft online boutique, and Nite Owls, a small digital marketing agency specializing in startups. Gupta is responsible for marketing, content, and content monetisation at SportVot. Her focus has been on growing brand partnerships to help the domestic sports ecosystem grow as well as offer unique brand solutions for the brands to grow deeper into the grassroots of India via SportVot.
With regard to competition, SportVot is the most convenient and affordable option to livestream a sports match, providing access to people with little to no resources. The biggest competitive advantage is seen in the story of the Brahmaputra volleyball league which is a grassroots volleyball league in Assam run by the former India captain Abhijit Bhattacharya. BVL streams 492 matches in a season which is spread across six months, as you can see in the video how SportVot and the sheer innovation of the kids of Assam was the only way to make this happen.
SportVot's target market involves onboarding sports bodies and associations bringing in thousands of matches in one go. With more video acquisition we bring in more athletes on the platform and a bigger community, thus, resulting in better monetization. The future roadmap involves creating our sports leagues or IPs which will help on building on the abundance of talent that is on SportVot.
With strategic partnerships with industry leaders, SportVot looks to onboard up to 300k games in the next two years.
Providing the most convenient and affordable live sports streaming solution, SportVot has streamed over 40,000 sports matches so far, has featured over 200,000 athletes, and has gained over 100M in viewership.
SportVot aims to become an end-to-end digital + physical sports platform that provides athletes with better visibility, and opportunities and creates a talent pathway that helps emerging talent take the next step in their careers.
Edited excerpts:
On the journey of SportVot and the reason for its launch
In 2019, my colleagues, Mr. Sidhhant Agarwal, Mr. Yash Bhagwatkar, and I co-founded SportVot. Initially, our focus was on evaluating IPL player performances, but we soon realized there needed to be a structured and transparent talent discovery process in grassroots sports across India. This led us to envision a platform that provides real-time, precise statistical insights and video data for grassroots sports. In May 2021, we launched our Cloud Studio, which is an easy and cost-effective streaming solution that brings the premium features of a professional broadcasting studio to your regular smartphone. This simplified the sports digitization process for amateur sports organizers and broadcasters, allowing us to implement the digitization process for grassroots sports. Since August 2023, when we raised our seed capital funding, we have partnered with key sports associations in India, such as the Maharashtra State Kabaddi Association, Thane Kabaddi Association, Nashik District Cricket Association, Football Delhi Association, among others, to digitize and monetize their games. Our goal is to bring transparency and structure to grassroots sports across India.
On SportVot contributing to making grassroots-level sports accessible and gaining recognition
SportVot offers more than an OTT platform for sports content and live streaming. With SportVot Cloud Studio, we've created premium, easy-to-use, cost-effective broadcasting solutions for sports organizers at all levels. Local sports associations often have limited resources, so it was important to us to develop technology that was accessible to everyone. We've built a technology that lets anyone digitize and live stream their games with a smartphone and internet connection. Our cloud studio brings professional broadcasting features to mobile phones, and we've made sure that our services are affordable and available to people worldwide. In addition, SportVot allows tournament organizers and sports bodies to monetize matches while athletes can find new playing opportunities. This benefits everyone involved and adds significant value to the sports community.
On sports industry/sports properties emerging as a new way for brands to tap into the masses, with examples of Nexus, Oziva, Muscleblaze, and Nutriquo Foods reaching out to their target audience
Over the past five-six years, sports have become a mainstream industry in India. However, the domestic sports industry is still in its early stages. Brands have a tremendous opportunity to reach out to the masses, and those who have started investing in domestic/local sports properties have seen the benefits of it. Our recent collaborations with brands such as Nexus, Oziva, Muscleblaze, and Nutriquo Foods have been based on their unique requirements. By leveraging SportVot's reach and connections within the sports community, we provided a channel for these brands to connect with their target audience in a way that suits their needs.
Nexus Day Surgery Centre, a world-class medical facility in Mumbai specializing in sports injury treatment, approached SportVot with a vision to penetrate and reach out to the local sports community in Maharashtra. SportVot devised a 360-degree marketing plan, starting with establishing Nexus as the official healthcare partner for four national-level athletes from Maharashtra. This helped the brand gain visibility and credibility within the local community. One of the four athletes also underwent successful knee surgery for her injury at the Nexus Day Surgery Centre, strengthening the brand's trust within the community. Later, SportVot helped Nexus reach out to the sports communities in Nashik, Pune, and the rest of Maharashtra by placing digital advertisements across various tournaments in the state and running a social media campaign across all platforms. SportVot also onboarded Nexus Day Surgery Centre as the official physiotherapy partner for DS3 sports club for the Mumbai Football Association's Corporate League tournament, thus helping them penetrate the football community. Nexus Day Surgery Centre continues to work with SportVot, significantly impacting the athletes' health and fitness.
Oziva, India's leading plant-based wellness brand, approached SportVot to tap into newer unconventional markets across geographies. SportVot helped them partner with the Rajasthan Basketball League, a state-level basketball tournament from Rajasthan. This enabled the brand to reach out to the local sports community in Rajasthan with more than 90k viewership and generated 400+ traffic on their product page.
Muscleblaze, a renowned fitness and nutrition supplements brand, was looking to venture into the Kabaddi community and spread brand awareness at the local level. SportVot partnered with Muscleblaze for a district-level Kabaddi tournament in Mumbai, 'Mumbai Suburb Kabaddi Championship 2023', with 50+ Kabaddi teams participating in the tournament featuring 650+ players. In addition to digital advertising and social media marketing, SportVot provided the players with Muscleblaze branded gift hampers, on-ground banners, and booths. This drive helped the brand enter the Kabaddi community, establish its presence in emerging athletes' minds (the brand's target audience), and generate 100k+ digital traffic.
Nutriquo Foods, a Bangalore-based Instant Healthy Food Mix Brand, partnered with SportVot to create awareness about its products across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. SportVot implemented a comprehensive marketing program, positioning Nutriquo as the nutrition partner for a Basketball Tournament, 'Future Stars Basketball Tournament' in Mumbai, wherein 200+ players participated across different age groups and live-streamed across India. Along with on-ground marketing with banners and booths, digital and social media marketing on SportVot OTT and other social media platforms, SportVot also provided certificate branding and product giveaways for community marketing. This helped Nutriquo increase its digital presence by 40k and pushed Nutriquo's e-commerce by 420+ users.
On the potential of domestic sports advertising, and the kind of benefits for brands invest in local sports events
The world of domestic sports is experiencing a surge in growth thanks to the increasing number of people adopting technology and digitizing their games. As a result, the future of domestic sports advertising looks extremely promising. The most significant advantage for brands is their direct access to real audiences, athletes, and teams with genuine followings at the grassroots level. Additionally, domestic sports advertising enables brands to penetrate local markets effectively and connect with their target audience through a more targeted campaign. Partnering with local sports events also creates a positive brand association, linking the brand with the values and emotions associated with sports in the fans' minds. This connection boosts the brand's credibility and trust among consumers. Another advantage for brands investing in domestic sports is its cost-effectiveness. While international or higher-level sports sponsorships can be expensive, investing in domestic sports events can be relatively more budget-friendly. This makes it an attractive option, especially for emerging and local brands looking to make a significant impact.
On the impact do local sponsorships have on building brand loyalty and community engagement
Sponsoring local sports and investing in community events can significantly boost a brand's image and position in people's minds. By supporting domestic sports, brands can connect with their target audience on a more personal and emotional level, allowing them to become a part of the community truly. As a result, individuals begin to resonate with the brand and feel a stronger connection to it.
On sports advertising seeing an evolution over the years, the key strategies that have gained momentum, and the current trends in sports marketing
In the pre-digital era, marketing events and brands were limited to on-ground options. While TV broadcasting helped National and International events gain momentum, domestic sports struggled to market themselves at a higher level. Consequently, most brands supported only pro-tier events. However, the advent of social media changed the game as domestic sports bodies and event organizers began to market their events using platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. They achieved slightly more eyeballs and, in turn, got small amounts of brand budgets to support their tournaments and market themselves. Nevertheless, the momentum was still limited as the awareness of the tournaments at the domestic level was low.
With the evolution of the Digital broadcasting space, domestic sports events have grown, and brands want to partner at the household level to achieve their Marketing and Branding goals. The kind of targeted presence broadcasting domestic sports gives is unrivalled by any other programmatic or OOH ads we see. Any brand partnership at the household level comes with advantages like In-stream advertisements, clickable ads, On-ground branding, commentary mentions, social media promotions, player/influencer promotion, etc. The power of broadcasting has not only evolved the sports ecosystem but also given brands a wide range of offerings to leave a bigger mark country-wide.
On the challenges and opportunities for brands in maintaining authenticity while endorsing athletes and sports events
From our experience, it took a lot of work for brands to ensure they met their commitments due to a lack of proper information channels. However, with the advent of live streaming and digitalization, the visibility of local events has increased, providing brands with greater assurance that they can meet their sponsorship obligations. This is also true for athlete endorsements, as the ability to track player progress has improved with the digitization of domestic matches.
On emerging technologies such as AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality shaping the sports advertising landscape
It's no secret that AI, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are becoming increasingly important in sports. The latest Fifa World Cup saw these emerging technologies put to great use, with brands offering fans interactive games, quizzes and social media challenges that promoted their products and increased engagement. It's only a matter of time before these technologies enter the realm of domestic sports advertising, as the digitization of sports has led to a surplus of data and means to reach out to audiences.
On the kind of ROI on sports marketing in comparison to other forms of marketing
Standardizing ROI in sports marketing can be challenging since it heavily relies on various factors such as the sport, demographic level, and the brand investing in it. For instance, OZiva achieved an 8% ROI by investing a small sum in a district-level basketball property. In comparison, Nexus Surgery Centre achieved a remarkable 120% ROI by investing continuously for four months.
On brands adapting their strategies to cater to the changing preferences and expectations of sports enthusiasts
In the past, cricket was the only sport in India that attracted big brand sponsorship deals and advertisers eager to promote their products during cricket events. However, brands have become more open to sponsoring and advertising non-cricket sports properties over the past five years. The growth and popularity of these sports have shifted demand and made brands realize the importance of investing in them. At the domestic level, many brands have consistently invested in these sports, adapting their strategies to meet the preferences and expectations of sports enthusiasts. As a result, the sports industry benefits from these changing dynamics.
On the predictions for the future of sports advertising locally and globally
In today's world, digital media is no longer just a glimpse of the future but has become a vital component of the present. Regardless of the industry, digitization is the key to success. In terms of sports advertising, I firmly believe that the future lies in data-driven campaigns, both locally and globally. As more and more consumers demand access to sports content, brands inevitably turn to digital advertising. However, with the availability of vast amounts of consumer data, it is becoming increasingly competitive for brands to secure the best deals.
On your vision and way forward for SportVot
At SportVot, we have a lot going on. We've been working hard to digitize and monetize local sports properties in Maharashtra, Delhi, and Rajasthan. But our vision continues beyond there. We want to expand our reach, covering more geographical areas and athletic disciplines. Recently, we've been exploring Kabaddi in Gujarat and Bihar. We aim to optimize the process of digitizing sports properties so that brands can invest in domestic sports. This will ultimately commercialize and empower the local sports ecosystem in India.
