Executive Dossier
‘India is our largest revenue contributor’ : TSA Group CEO Marcus Luer
As it plans to grow its business in India, Total Sports Asia (TSA) is looking at media formats that combine sports with lifestyle.
Plotting an aggressive growth strategy, the sports marketing company has been able to double its India business year on year.
The business in India has been divided into three verticals – media, licensing and events and sponsorship. Forty per cent of the business comes from media. Another 40 per cent comes from events and sponsorship, while licensing takes up the rest.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, TSA Group CEO Marcus Luer talks about the challenges sports marketing companies face in Asia.
Excerpts:
How has the business grown over the last couple of years?
In the TV rights and production business, we are physically involved in over 50 live events across the globe. We provide satellite and production service to our core properties in badminton, table tennis, squash and boxing. We own and sell major properties worldwide including BWF Super Series, ITTF Pro Tour and all other ITTF events, PSA Pro Tour, AIBA Boxing and the World Series of Boxing.
So far as partnerships and sponsorships go, we work on both ends of the spectrum. We work directly with rights holders and help them find new partners in Asia, including major football clubs from Europe, F1 teams, US Open Tennis and ITTF Pro Tour.
What challenges did the economic downturn pose for you?
2008-09 were not “fun” years. We had invested heavily into new areas, manpower and had lost a big account. We stuck to our core principals and retooled certain areas of the business. We are on target to have our best year ever.
As it plans to grow its business in India, Total Sports Asia (TSA) is looking at media formats that combine sports with lifestyle.
Plotting an aggressive growth strategy, the sports marketing company has been able to double its India business year on year.
The business in India has been divided into three verticals – media, licensing and events and sponsorship. Forty per cent of the business comes from media. Another 40 per cent comes from events and sponsorship, while licensing takes up the rest.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, TSA Group CEO Marcus Luer talks about the challenges sports marketing companies face in Asia.
Excerpts:
How has the business grown over the last couple of years?
In the TV rights and production business, we are physically involved in over 50 live events across the globe. We provide satellite and production service to our core properties in badminton, table tennis, squash and boxing. We own and sell major properties worldwide including BWF Super Series, ITTF Pro Tour and all other ITTF events, PSA Pro Tour, AIBA Boxing and the World Series of Boxing.
So far as partnerships and sponsorships go, we work on both ends of the spectrum. We work directly with rights holders and help them find new partners in Asia, including major football clubs from Europe, F1 teams, US Open Tennis and ITTF Pro Tour.
What challenges did the economic downturn pose for you?
2008-09 were not “fun” years. We had invested heavily into new areas, manpower and had lost a big account. We stuck to our core principals and retooled certain areas of the business. We are on target to have our best year ever.
Are things back to normal now or has the Japan earthquake set things back?
Sports marketing in Asia has been back to normal since 2010, which was also a big Football World Cup year. I believe the industry has growth potential for the next 20-30 years. Of course, there will be course corrections based on global macro economic problems or more domestic issues in key markets which will affect everyone.
On the other hand, sports marketing is still only a toddler in Asia and has plenty of years left before it reaches levels of maturity as seen in the US, Europe or Australia. Certain sports have already been developed like cricket in India. But even cricket has plenty of room to improve and grow. As powerful as the IPL is, it‘s not on the same level of professionalism as major football Leagues in Europe. For a still relatively new League, it has done incredibly well and has plenty of room to grow and improve.
How has the business in India grown?
The business from India has been doubling year on year. India has always been a very important market, even prior to 2004 when we set up our local subsidiary. Over the years, India has now grown to be the single largest country in terms of revenue contribution to the group.
‘We already have great scale in India and do very little in cricket. That just shows that there are plenty of other areas to concentrate on and grow the business outside cricket‘
Given that India is a one sport country, what is the strategy to build scale here?
We already have great scale in India and do very little in cricket. That just shows that there are plenty of other areas to concentrate on and grow the business outside cricket.
We have divided the business into three verticals – media, events and sponsorship and licensing. We do six to seven events a year.
How did you get involved with the Delhi Golf Club?
The Delhi Golf Club made the most sense for us in terms of taking the rights for their calendar year and getting sponsors. We have got sponsors like Mitsubishi Motors and China Tourism. The other option is to do a one off event like everyone else. We did not want to get into a crowded space.
How are you going to get involved with the F1 event here?
In F1, our focus is on the teams and only occasionally we work with the local races.
I do believe that F1 viewership and general interest in the sport will dramatically grow in India over the next three-five years. I saw it first hand in Malaysia where F1 was unknown to the general public prior to the first race in 1999; now everyone seems to be an expert. I have no doubt that F1 will have a similar success in India. It‘s an amazing product and even more exciting to watch live than on TV.
Once Indian corporations have a chance to see the F1 spectacle live, they will get the idea pretty quickly on how to leverage the power of it in the local market and even worldwide.
In India what work are you doing to grow soccer?
We have worked with several clubs including Churchill Brothers to help them grow their commercial revenue streams. We had partnered with CAA to bid for the rights, which now are handled by IMG/Reliance. So we were ready to invest considerable resources into the sport, but unfortunately came up a bit short.
We are seeing sports bodies and agencies making a bigger push in India. WWE just set up an office here. IMG Reliance is doing work to push sports. How will all this activity benefit the sports marketing environment here?
It clearly will grow the size of the pie,,there is no doubt about it. Just like Cricket, there are several other sports which have good growth potential. It has happened all over the world and will happen here as well. Clear second tier sports will emerge and will develop their own niche and space.
Growth will be led by new star players emerging in certain sports; the 2012 Olympics will particularly unearth new talent. Sports will be driven by corporations seeking new ways to reach consumers and being driven or prized out of cricket.
Are you looking at the possibility of a JV in India like what IMG has done with Reliance?
We are always open to team up with powerful partners.
In terms of leveraging their brands, to what extent is digital becoming important for sports federations and sports marketing agencies?
The digital world is a huge opportunity for sports in general. Niche sports can now deliver their content directly to their fan base without having to rely on the big sports platforms or channels.
At the same time, sports is the only true “appointment TV” and, therefore, will continue to drive pay TV and other traditional media platforms as it caters to huge audiences — “live”.
The only difference is sports, where it is all about live experience; no one will tape a crucial match of their favourite team, player or sport. People make “appointments” to watch it live; the delivery mechanism and the viewing experience might change but not the desire to see it while it unfolds. That‘s the true power of sports.
What progress has your online streaming service Total Sports TV made since launch?
It‘s an on-going case study into the digital world for us. We don‘t claim to have found the ultimate solution yet — but it gives us exposure into a new fast developing area and will lead to new business opportunities down the line.
How is Total Sports Asia planning to get involved with the 2012 Olympics?
I assume that the economic impact in Asia will be much smaller compared to 2008. We are working with several companies who are major Olympic sponsors and helping them with marketing and leveraging ideas and implementation across the region.
I believe the London Olympics will be big in Asia, because of the host city itself. Beijing was unique in many ways and might not be topped in terms of the sheer scale and size. But I have no doubt that London will set new standards in many other ways. Overall, the Olympics will definitely grow in Asia and we will see more and more global sponsors trying to take its advantage by making it locally relevant.
What are the new technologies coming up here that are enhancing the viewer‘s experience?
Our racket sport production business is growing dramatically this year. We have brought in many innovative ideas such as speed guns and virtual technology to enhance the viewer experience. We are also aiming to provide fans with new data and info about their sport.
We will continue to work with our Federations to push new technologies and ideas, while making it commercially viable at the same time.
Sports marketing in Asia has been back to normal since 2010, which was also a big Football World Cup year. I believe the industry has growth potential for the next 20-30 years. Of course, there will be course corrections based on global macro economic problems or more domestic issues in key markets which will affect everyone.
On the other hand, sports marketing is still only a toddler in Asia and has plenty of years left before it reaches levels of maturity as seen in the US, Europe or Australia. Certain sports have already been developed like cricket in India. But even cricket has plenty of room to improve and grow. As powerful as the IPL is, it‘s not on the same level of professionalism as major football Leagues in Europe. For a still relatively new League, it has done incredibly well and has plenty of room to grow and improve.
How has the business in India grown?
The business from India has been doubling year on year. India has always been a very important market, even prior to 2004 when we set up our local subsidiary. Over the years, India has now grown to be the single largest country in terms of revenue contribution to the group.
‘We already have great scale in India and do very little in cricket. That just shows that there are plenty of other areas to concentrate on and grow the business outside cricket‘
Given that India is a one sport country, what is the strategy to build scale here?
We already have great scale in India and do very little in cricket. That just shows that there are plenty of other areas to concentrate on and grow the business outside cricket.
We have divided the business into three verticals – media, events and sponsorship and licensing. We do six to seven events a year.
How did you get involved with the Delhi Golf Club?
The Delhi Golf Club made the most sense for us in terms of taking the rights for their calendar year and getting sponsors. We have got sponsors like Mitsubishi Motors and China Tourism. The other option is to do a one off event like everyone else. We did not want to get into a crowded space.
How are you going to get involved with the F1 event here?
In F1, our focus is on the teams and only occasionally we work with the local races.
I do believe that F1 viewership and general interest in the sport will dramatically grow in India over the next three-five years. I saw it first hand in Malaysia where F1 was unknown to the general public prior to the first race in 1999; now everyone seems to be an expert. I have no doubt that F1 will have a similar success in India. It‘s an amazing product and even more exciting to watch live than on TV.
Once Indian corporations have a chance to see the F1 spectacle live, they will get the idea pretty quickly on how to leverage the power of it in the local market and even worldwide.
In India what work are you doing to grow soccer?
We have worked with several clubs including Churchill Brothers to help them grow their commercial revenue streams. We had partnered with CAA to bid for the rights, which now are handled by IMG/Reliance. So we were ready to invest considerable resources into the sport, but unfortunately came up a bit short.
We are seeing sports bodies and agencies making a bigger push in India. WWE just set up an office here. IMG Reliance is doing work to push sports. How will all this activity benefit the sports marketing environment here?
It clearly will grow the size of the pie,,there is no doubt about it. Just like Cricket, there are several other sports which have good growth potential. It has happened all over the world and will happen here as well. Clear second tier sports will emerge and will develop their own niche and space.
Growth will be led by new star players emerging in certain sports; the 2012 Olympics will particularly unearth new talent. Sports will be driven by corporations seeking new ways to reach consumers and being driven or prized out of cricket.
Are you looking at the possibility of a JV in India like what IMG has done with Reliance?
We are always open to team up with powerful partners.
In terms of leveraging their brands, to what extent is digital becoming important for sports federations and sports marketing agencies?
The digital world is a huge opportunity for sports in general. Niche sports can now deliver their content directly to their fan base without having to rely on the big sports platforms or channels.
At the same time, sports is the only true “appointment TV” and, therefore, will continue to drive pay TV and other traditional media platforms as it caters to huge audiences — “live”.
The only difference is sports, where it is all about live experience; no one will tape a crucial match of their favourite team, player or sport. People make “appointments” to watch it live; the delivery mechanism and the viewing experience might change but not the desire to see it while it unfolds. That‘s the true power of sports.
What progress has your online streaming service Total Sports TV made since launch?
It‘s an on-going case study into the digital world for us. We don‘t claim to have found the ultimate solution yet — but it gives us exposure into a new fast developing area and will lead to new business opportunities down the line.
How is Total Sports Asia planning to get involved with the 2012 Olympics?
I assume that the economic impact in Asia will be much smaller compared to 2008. We are working with several companies who are major Olympic sponsors and helping them with marketing and leveraging ideas and implementation across the region.
I believe the London Olympics will be big in Asia, because of the host city itself. Beijing was unique in many ways and might not be topped in terms of the sheer scale and size. But I have no doubt that London will set new standards in many other ways. Overall, the Olympics will definitely grow in Asia and we will see more and more global sponsors trying to take its advantage by making it locally relevant.
What are the new technologies coming up here that are enhancing the viewer‘s experience?
Our racket sport production business is growing dramatically this year. We have brought in many innovative ideas such as speed guns and virtual technology to enhance the viewer experience. We are also aiming to provide fans with new data and info about their sport.
We will continue to work with our Federations to push new technologies and ideas, while making it commercially viable at the same time.
MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.
Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.
Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.
Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.
Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.
With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.
INDIA: SpotDraft has strengthened its senior ranks as it gears up for faster global expansion, naming Alon Waks as chief marketing officer and Amit Sharma as chief financial officer. The appointments follow the firm’s $54 million Series B round earlier this year and mark a push to scale across the Americas, EMEA and India.
The AI-powered contract-lifecycle-management platform has posted 100 per cent year-on-year growth in customer acquisition, counting Apollo.io, IPSY, Mixpanel, Oyster and Panasonic among its global clients. The firm processes more than one million contracts annually, with volumes up 173 per cent and nearly 50,000 monthly active users.
Waks, a veteran of Kustomer, Bizzabo, CreatorIQ, LivePerson and ZoomInfo, will steer global marketing and category positioning as legal teams adopt AI-driven tools. Sharma, who has led finance across scaling tech firms since 2016, will guide financial strategy, investor relations and market expansion.
Both hires aim to sharpen SpotDraft’s bid for a larger slice of the fast-growing legal-tech market, expected to exceed $63 billion by 2032. Co-founder and chief executive Shashank Bijapur said the company is focused on scaling go-to-market operations in the Americas, deepening leadership in EMEA, and accelerating AI capabilities for general counsels and legal-operations leaders.
Clients report shorter deal cycles and better alignment between legal and business teams. “What used to take weeks now happens in days,” said Abnormal Security senior legal operations manager Susan Koenig. DeepL head of legal operations André Barrow, said SpotDraft has helped reframe legal “from a cost centre to a generator of revenue”.
MUMBAI: Out-of-home ads were once the wallflowers of marketing seen by everyone, noticed by few. But in an age where attention has become the world’s most fought-over currency, even billboards are getting a brain upgrade. Enter LOC8, OSMO’s AI-powered attention engine, quietly reshaping the old OOH playbook by measuring not just who could have looked at an ad, but who actually did. The shift is subtle but seismic: impressions are out, impact is in and data, not gut instinct, is calling the shots.
In a landscape where marketers question every rupee spent outdoors, LOC8 is turning lampposts, flyovers and traffic islands into precision-mapped attention laboratories. By crunching dwell time, visibility zones, perceptual size and real-world obstructions, the platform is dragging OOH into a future where creativity meets computer vision and where the best ideas aren’t just eye-catching, but eye-measured. From automotive facelifts to FMCG novelty and real estate trust-building, the message is clear, outdoor has stopped shouting and started listening. Indian Television Dot Com explores more about it in an Interview interview with OSMO co-founder Nipun Arora.
On how OSMO is shifting outdoor advertising from a visibility-led medium to an attention-led one through LOC8.
Traditional OOH has long been measured by visibility and impressions i.e how many people could see an ad. OSMO, through its proprietary AI platform LOC8, is shifting that narrative more towards likelihood of being noticed. Using computer vision and machine learning, LOC8 analyzes real-world video data to measure visibility zones, obstructions, dwell time and perceptual size; bringing precision to how attention is quantified outdoors. It moves the focus from mere impressions to quality of impressions, making OOH a data-verified, attention-led medium comparable to digital in accountability.
On how marketers can use LOC8’s dwell-time, visibility and perception insights to craft more effective, emotionally resonant OOH campaigns.
LOC8 helps brands understand how people truly experience outdoor media how long they look, from what distance, and under what conditions. By quantifying dwell time, visibility duration, and perceptual size; marketers can plan campaigns that align with real human viewing behavior. This empowers creative and strategy teams to design emotionally resonant storytelling where messaging, visual hierarchy and placement are optimized for how people actually notice and process OOH creatives.
About what LOC8 has revealed through campaigns like Renault Triber and Namaste India on how categories such as auto, FMCG and real estate use attention metrics to drive outcomes.
Each category uses attention data differently but all share one common goal: to convert outdoor visibility into measurable engagement.
• Automotive | Renault Triber
For the new Renault Triber facelift, bold creative met data-led planning through LOC8. By analyzing on-ground video data, LOC8 measured real audience attention across placements factoring in visibility zones, obstructions, traffic speed and perceptual size. This enabled Renault to identify corridors that delivered maximum reach, saliency and engagement, optimizing media efficiency and ROI.
• FMCG | Namaste India
In OOH, innovation is the hook and assets are the bait. But bait often hides the hook. With Loc8’s attention metrics, we ensured the bait wasn’t a hurdle, rather it became the perfect stage for innovation to deliver its full impact! The insight proved that creative novelty, when validated by attention data, drives deeper engagement and measurable brand lift.
• Real Estate
For luxury and real estate campaigns targeting HNI/UHNI audiences, attention patterns differ especially between front and rear passengers, who are often the core audience segment for premium sites. LOC8’s ability to distinguish rear vs. front visibility plays a critical role here. It helps identify sites that offer longer viewing windows and stronger perceptual dominance from the rear seat where decision-makers are most likely seated making it a key differentiator for premium and trust-led categories. Together, these insights prove that auto optimizes for impact, FMCG for recall, and real estate for trust visibility showing how attention metrics adapt to category goals while ensuring measurable outcomes.
On how attention analytics will shape the future of brand storytelling and media planning as OOH becomes more digitised and data-driven.
As outdoor digitizes, attention analytics will inform not just where to advertise but how stories are told in public spaces. This evolution transforms OOH from a static broadcast channel into a dynamic attention ecosystem, where creativity is optimized through evidence-based insight.
On how LOC8’s data-led framework helps marketers quantify OOH impact and make outdoor a more accountable, ROI-driven medium.
LOC8 bridges the gap between intuition and evidence. By quantifying metrics like visibility duration, attention opportunity index, and visual saliency rank, it allows brands to benchmark site performance and justify investment. This data-led approach brings transparency, comparability and ROI measurement to a medium historically driven by perception.
On how OSMO ensures AI and computer vision enhance creativity rather than reduce it to numbers.
OSMO believes that technology should enhance creativity, not overshadow it. LOC8’s attention models reveal what naturally draws the human eye helping creative teams refine design cues, contrast, and visual hierarchy for greater impact. By merging art and science, LOC8 empowers creativity with intelligence.
About the creative best practices and design cues LOC8 has uncovered regarding what truly captures consumer attention outdoors.
LOC8’s visual cognition analysis has surfaced clear patterns across campaigns:
• High contrast and minimal messaging outperform cluttered designs.
• Motion cues draw significantly longer dwell times.
• The first two seconds are critical, creatives must establish focus instantly.
• Contextual alignment between the creative and its environment increases attention by over 30%.
These learnings offer a scientific foundation for creative effectiveness helping brands design OOH that’s visually magnetic and emotionally memorable.
On how attention metrics will integrate into omnichannel planning where OOH, digital and social work together for unified brand impact.
Attention can become the unifying KPI across OOH, digital and social to creates seamless storytelling continuity, where outdoor triggers digital engagement. The future of omnichannel planning lies in attention-led integration ensuring that campaigns don’t just reach audiences everywhere but truly capture and hold their focus.
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MIB sets OTT accessibility rules, mandates captions and audio description
Boney Kapoor acquires remake rights of Tamil political satire Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil
Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing
Zabeen signs off from TV9 after shaping the network’s public voice
Dhawan steps up to bat for Delhi’s grassroots sports push
Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits
Cheekatilo shines in the dark with record debut on Prime Video
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