MUMBAI: Basketball, which introduced breakfast viewership in India, is growing at a rapid pace in all departments. From the beginning the National Basketball Association (NBA) India had a long-term vision to grow the game and build the league’s fan base in the market. It initiated many grassroots programmes to build on ground attraction and plans to extend the base and reach by expanding it to multiple cities.
What’s more, the growing venture NBA India, which is still exploring various opportunities to generate revenue, has seen a 200 per cent jump in its e-commerce sales over the last one year. The NBA’s primary business lines globally are media, sponsorship and merchandising.
Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco says, “We continue to work with our global and local merchandising partners to bring the best NBA merchandise to our fans. We launched NBAStore.in, our local e-commerce site in partnership with Jabong, a little over a year ago and the response has been amazing. NBA merchandise has been delivered to over 400 cities across India and our e-commerce sales have grown 200 per cent over the last year. The league will continue to engage with like-minded brands to create partnerships to grow the game and bring the NBA experience closer to our fans. We currently have fantastic partnerships with Reliance Foundation, Jabong, adidas, Samsonite, Nike and SAP.”
Plans for 2015-2017:
Sharing his vision Colaco throws light on the plans to improve the sport’s reach and viewership in the country. “Over the next three years, the NBA will continue to grow the game and deliver NBA experiences and content to our fans across the country. We plan to expand our grassroots programs to more cities so that the youth across the country can learn and enjoy the game. We will continue to train coaches across India and provide them the tools and resources to grow the game in their communities.”
Viewership:
Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports venture Sony Six is the official broadcaster of NBA in India. 61.8 per cent of All India 1 lakh + television audience in India has the opportunity to see Sony Six. The viewership rating has witnessed constant growth in recent past and finals of 2015 secured the most. “Our partnership with Sony Six in India has been fantastic. Viewership of the NBA has skyrocketed in the last few seasons due to their commitment to bring two live games per day and other compelling NBA programs to our fans. Viewership of NBA programs increased significantly over last and our fan base on social media has grown 400 per cent in the last year,” says Colaco.
Aspirations of youth and initiatives taken by NBA to support it:
“There is great appetite for high quality basketball programs from schools, coaches, parents and youth across the country. These initiatives are essential because basketball is a great form of exercise and teaches youth important life lessons such as teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship and communication. Over one million youth have participated in the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program since 2013 and over 1,000 coaches have been trained across eight cities. In addition, over 15,000 basketballs have been donated and 300 rims installed at participating schools. We anticipate these figures to double as we expand the program later this year,” asserts Colaco.
Satnam Singh’s inclusion in NBA draft:
Recently India born Satnam Singh created history by getting a place in NBA as The Dallas Mavericks introduced 19-year-old as the first-ever Indian NBA draft pick in Dallas. And that can enthral tremendous energy in basketball aspirants in India. On Singh’s inclusion and its influence on the youth, Colaco says, “Our hope is that Satnam’s story will continue to inspire youth across India to participate in our great game. We will provide fans in India the opportunity to follow Satnam’s journey by showcasing his experiences across our digital and social media platforms as well as on Sony Six.”
In India most of the basketball courts are used to play cricket, skate or play football, now it remains to be seen if Colaco and his team manages to popularise basketball and drive the youth’s interest to the sport.
