How Sports Marketers Can Target Gaming Audience in India

In India, gaming isn’t just a pastime—it’s a cultural juggernaut, a digital coliseum where millions clash, compete, and connect. With 568 million gamers in 2023, it rivals the fervor of cricket, making it an unmissable opportunity for sports marketers. This isn’t a niche hobby anymore; it’s a mainstream phenomenon, driven by a young, engaged audience—65% of whom are under 35—and fueled by mobile platforms that account for 80% of the gaming market.  

What’s powering this explosion? Affordable data at ₹12 per GB—one of the world’s lowest rates—and a projected 900 million smartphone users by 2025. For sports marketers, this is a golden ticket to tap into a fanbase that’s as passionate about virtual battlegrounds as they are about physical pitches. Here’s how you can score big by targeting India’s gaming audience. 

The Shift: From Cricket Fields to Virtual Arenas 

Gaming in India has evolved from a casual distraction to a marketing powerhouse, mirroring the global esports surge projected to hit ₹1,100 crore by 2025. This isn’t just about kids with joysticks—it’s a seismic shift in how entertainment and competition intersect. Consider the PUBG Mobile India Open 2023, which offered a ₹1 crore prize pool and drew 10 million viewers. That’s a viewership that rivals IPL matches, signaling a new arena for sports brands. 

Key milestones highlight this transformation. Fantasy sports platforms like Dream11 gamified cricket fandom, growing to 200 million users by 2024. This crossover shows how gaming can amplify traditional sports engagement. Meanwhile, sponsorships are booming—brands like Puma and Red Bull have jumped into esports, with investments rising 30% year-on-year. For sports marketers, this shift means rethinking audience targeting: gaming isn’t a sideline—it’s the main event. 

Actionable Tip for Sports Marketers: Partner with esports tournaments to bridge physical and virtual sports. Sponsor events like the BGMI Masters Series, aligning your brand with the competitive spirit gamers crave. 

The Sports Marketers' Playbook: Building Brand Stories in Gaming 

To win in this space, sports marketers must craft narratives that resonate with gamers’ passions. India’s gaming ecosystem is rich with opportunities to build brand identities that stick. Here’s how: 

• Franchise Evolution: Take a page from IPL playbooks—launch esports squads tied to your sports brand. This isn’t just visibility; it’s a loyalty play, connecting cricket fans to gaming avatars under one banner. 

• Branding Strategies: Gamify your products with in-game integrations. Globally, Nike’s NBA 2K22 collaboration sold 1 million virtual sneakers—imagine Puma dropping branded skins in Free Fire, a game with 150 million Indian downloads. Tailor these to local tastes—think cricket-themed gear for BGMI players. 

  
  

• Campaign Impact: Make use of campaigns that fuse sports and gaming. Imagine Royal Challengers Bangalore’s “Play Bold” initiative integrating esports events with cricket stars like Virat Kohli. Make sure to localize your approach—use Hindi or Tamil voiceovers to double reach, as vernacular content outperforms English by 2x. 

Actionable Tip for Sports Marketers: Collaborate with gaming influencers like Mortal or Scout to co-create content. Their authenticity can turn a campaign into a cultural moment, driving organic buzz. 

The Game Plan: Decoding Media Channels and Audience Trends 

Success hinges on understanding where gamers live and how to reach them. India’s gaming media landscape is a split-screen of opportunity—here’s the breakdown: 

• Media Split: Mobile gaming ads dominate, claiming 67% of global gaming ad spend. In India, YouTube streams eat up 49% of gaming ad budgets, dwarfing Twitch’s reach. Why? Accessibility—BGMI streams racked up 50 million hours watched in 2024, compared to 10 million for TV esports broadcasts. 

• Viewership Trends: Digital trumps traditional media every time. TV can’t match the interactivity of live streams, where fans chat, cheer, and spend. Split rights—like Sky Esports’ 2023 multilingual streams in seven languages—let brands hyper-target.  

• Marketing Shift: With split rights, one-size-fits-all ads are dead. Tailor content—short-form Reels for casual gamers, long-form streams for hardcore fans. This precision has juiced valuations—esports teams rose 40% post-2023 media deals—and sponsors now expect higher engagement than traditional sports. 

Actionable Tip for Sports Marketers: Invest in platforms like Rooter Sports, which offers real-time fan interaction. Run polls during streams—“Which cricketer would dominate BGMI?”—to keep audiences hooked and your brand top-of-mind. 

Targeting Gaming Audiences: A Sports Marketer's Guide 

The future of gaming in India is digital-first, and sports marketers must pivot fast. With full 5G coverage of India by 2026, the game is changing. This shift also spells the end of TV dominance. By 2029, India’s gaming audience will hit 328.9 million, and brands prioritizing real-time, interactive campaigns will win. Why? Gamers crave engagement—a majority of BGMI players spend on in-game items—and digital platforms deliver it. Contrast that with static TV ads, and the choice is clear. 

With 568 million gamers, a mobile-first ecosystem, and a digital future accelerating toward 328.9 million users by 2029, the stakes—and rewards—are massive. From building esports franchises to mastering split media rights, the strategies are clear: localize, engage, and innovate. 

For sports brands looking to capitalize on India's gaming boom, a strategic approach is essential. The path to success requires methodical investment and thoughtful integration across multiple touchpoints. Here's your roadmap to effectively target this valuable audience: 

Start off with Influencer Partnerships: Begin your gaming strategy by collaborating with established gaming influencers who already command loyal followings. These digital tastemakers—like Mortal (7M+ followers) or Scout (4.5M+ followers)—bring built-in credibility and authentic connections with your target audience. A single integrated campaign with the right influencer can generate 5x the engagement of traditional sports advertising, especially when content feels native to gaming platforms. And you can actually make this an always-on campaign.

Integrate Campaigns Into Platforms: Traditionally, sports marketing features brands paying to get expose within the sports arena: venues, kits, and so on. Esports allow more dynamic and seamless integration within content. This implies using innovative ad formats during the gaming streams. For instance, mobile phone brands like Vivo and Samsung have used the Instreamly solution for tactical graphic and text placements within streams, resulting in above-average CTR and response.

Explore In-Game Branding Assets: The ultimate integration comes through in-game presence—branded skins, virtual merchandise, or custom game modes that put your brand directly in players' hands. Free Fire and BGMI regularly collaborate with brands, creating items that players voluntarily purchase and display. These assets generate both revenue and extraordinary brand affinity, with players spending an average of 30 minutes daily interacting with branded elements—engagement traditional advertising can only dream of. 

Budget-Allowing, Partner with Teams and Tournaments: As your gaming strategy matures, consider deeper investments through team sponsorships and tournament partnerships. Organizations like Team Soul or Global Esports offer yearlong visibility across multiple games and events. Tournament sponsorships like the BGMI Pro Series provide concentrated exposure to highly engaged audiences—recent events have seen 65% viewer retention rates throughout multi-hour broadcasts, far exceeding traditional sports viewing patterns. 

Gaming Campaigns Across Platforms: Don't isolate your gaming initiatives from your main marketing efforts. Create cohesive narratives that flow between traditional sports content and gaming touchpoints. For example, feature your cricket ambassadors in gaming contexts, bring esports elements into your stadium activations, or drive physical traffic using gaming hooks. Brands that maintain consistent messaging across both worlds see higher brand recall than those running parallel, disconnected campaigns.

To truly optimize your gaming marketing strategy, consider partnering with specialized platforms like Zupotsu. Zupotsu is a martech platform on a mission to ‘digitize’ sports marketing. Zupotsu enables the discovery, engagement, and evaluation (the ‘DEE’ framework) for every sports and esports marketing asset. Please sign up at www.zupotsu.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Reach out at ‘marketing@zupotsu.com’ for any queries.