Cricket is India's national sport, but football and basketball have been rapidly gaining popularity there as well. As a result, India is a significant market for sports organizations and leagues like the American National Basketball Association (NBA).
The NBA's deputy commissioner, Mark Tatum, was interviewed by Storyboard18 to discuss the popularity of basketball and the NBA in India, the market's potential, initiatives to reach new audiences, and advertiser interest in this sport. The number of possibilities for Indian viewers to watch NBA games and other NBA programming has never been greater. Fans can watch games on Sports18, VH1, MTV, and digital channels like Voot and Jio TV in both English and Hindi thanks to our collaboration with Viacom18, which began last season.
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More than 24 million fans in India watched live NBA programming on Viacom18 platforms alone this past season. These are accessible in standard definition and high definition across the nation. The other agreement we announced was with India's public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati, and it would feature non-live NBA games, documentaries, WNBA games, NBA G League programs, and historic games.
Since the partnership's start last year, we have reached 85 million fans in India. Mark Tatum saw that many of his admirers were playing the game now that it was available on so many other platforms. This has increased interest in the sport significantly.
More entry points for those children to begin are made possible by grassroots league development, which aims to increase the number of boys and girls playing basketball. Mark Tatum collaborates with the Reliance Foundation in India.
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Since that initiative began in 2013, we have taught the game of basketball in 34 different cities to over 11 million young people and 13,000 physical educators. So, the first step is to encourage people to play basketball. It has been incredibly motivating. In order to get to where cricket is, Mark Tatum sees a long way to go. After soccer, basketball is the sport with the second-fastest growth among boys and girls in India. At the Asia championship, one of the Junior teams placed fifth.
They have never been positioned higher than that. They came from the NBA academy programs in such large numbers. Finding talent is at the heart of Mark Tatum, and as junior divisions now do even better on the international stage, interest is growing. The number of followers Mark Tatum has on social media has increased by 100%, and both viewing and participation on local social media channels have increased as well. Mark Tatum also has a lot of interest in the world of fashion. Brands with a lifestyle are intrigued. To commemorate Lakme Fashion Week's 75th anniversary, Mark Tatum collaborated with them last season. Marketers are collaborating well, according to Mark Tatum.
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Mark Tatum believes that in order to reach the next level, it will be necessary to establish a local Indian basketball star that will pique the interest of Indian audiences and advertisers alike. In order to provide children with a path, Mark Tatum is one of many people creating the ecosystem in India. That wasn't there till now. The possibility is demonstrated by Mark Tatum's participation in the junior NBA program, the basketball academy, the ACG Jump, and the academy. Mark Tatum also acquired a number of players for the women's team who are currently participating in the global academy. So they too have a route to playing in the WNBA.
It won't take long for that superstar to become well-known. There is no denying that the nation is filled with talented boys and girls.
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