Sportradar looks to grow its presence in India

Along with China, India is one of the key focus markets for Sportradar in Asia

by Javed Farooqui
Published: Feb 2, 2021 1:50 PM | 4 min read

Swiss sports data company Sportradar plans to grow its presence in India in 2021. Along with China, India is one of the key focus markets for Sportradar in Asia.

Sportradar APAC Director - Sports Partnerships Biplav Gautam said that it works with a range of companies and organisations across the Indian sports ecosystem.

“They range from the likes of fantasy companies like Dream11, 11Wickets to gaming conglomerates like Sugal and Damani as well as broadcasters like FanCode and Sony Networks to most of the leading sports leagues and federations. Recently, we partnered with the BCCI for IPL 2020. We have also worked with Pro Kabaddi and Indian Super League,” Gautam said.

Globally, Sportradar is the official partner of the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, FIFA, and UEFA. It monitors, analyses, and delivers insights from around 720,000 matches annually across more than 75 sports. It operates across four key areas like integrity, betting, OTT, and marketing services.

He further stated that Sportradar is rapidly building up its business development team in India and is in conversation with sports entities in India to understand their needs and pain points to meet the demands of the market. “We believe our best-in-class products and services used by many of the world’s leading sports entities provides an ideal platform to engage with Indian clients,” he added.

Gautam also mentioned that Sportradar’s Integrity Services is already very well established in the Indian market. It is working with most of the top leagues and federations in this area. It supplies Data API and visualisation services to numerous fantasy sports and media customers. It also has Data and Audio-Visual partnerships with numerous organisations both on the supply and demand sides.

“Moving forward, we hope to push our Digital Services products into the market. We believe that the AFC partnership, along with the many others we have around the world across sports, will provide a strong showcase and be an important reference,” he said.

He noted that the sports and gaming markets in India have grown exponentially in the last decade as people are looking at sports not just as a form of entertainment but as a business and as an investment opportunity as a result.

“The growing nature of sports business in the country along with its huge fan base, corporate support, and government focus make India an important market for us both in terms of engagement and advocacy as well,” he averred.

Queried about Sportradar's expansion plans for the Indian market in 2021, Gautam said that growth in Asia is a priority for Sportradar with a specific focus on India and China. “We look to grow in these markets by engaging with the most popular sports in those regions which speaks to hundreds of millions of passionate fans.”

Speaking about the Indian sports market, Gautam said that the country has tremendous potential and the most popular leagues were only recently established so it will take time for them to fully entrench themselves with the public and for the sports business ecosystem around them to grow and flourish.

He also said that the sports betting sector is an untapped market in India. “There are still certain untapped markets – such as the sports betting sector which is yet to be regulated by the government. As we have recently seen in the USA, this could present another major opportunity for Indian sport.”

On the recent partnership between Sportradar and Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Gautam said that the eight-year contract allows Sportradar to use and distribute audio-visual content and AFC match-related data.

This includes the provision of digital services to the AFC with the aim of expanding their fan footprint and engagement, especially as consumption habits change given the pandemic, he added.