Mumbai: India’s sports ecosystem is witnessing a major digital transformation, with mobile and social media emerging as the dominant touchpoints for fan engagement, according to the latest State of Sports 2025: India Edition report by Comscore.
The study reveals that 118 million Indians engage with digital sports content, and nearly 90% of them access it exclusively through mobile devices. The report underlines how platforms like YouTube (95% reach) and Instagram (84%) have become the new stadiums of sports fandom, redefining how audiences interact with athletes, teams, and brands.
Social Media Takes Centre Stage
Comscore notes that over half of all sports content consumption in India now takes place on social platforms. Sportskeeda, Cricket Addictor, ESPN India, and Cricbuzz lead the digital sports publishing space, while athletes such as Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma dominate engagement with millions of interactions per post. Notably, Instagram engagement with Indian athlete profiles surged 56% in the first half of 2025, signaling the deepening fan-athlete connection online.
Sports and recreation brands have also become social powerhouses, generating 20% of India’s total social engagement, with IPL franchises ranking among the most influential handles.
Brand Partnerships and Cross-Sector Opportunities
The report highlights how sports audiences intersect strongly with other key sectors—96% of sports fans also visit retail platforms, and over 90% engage with financial services sites. This overlap creates opportunities for brands to craft integrated marketing strategies around sports affinity and fan loyalty.
Comscore points to cultural crossovers like Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, whose joint social influence transcends sports and entertainment, amplifying reach across demographics and platforms.
Cricket and Global Sports Drive Digital Spikes
Matchday surges remain a defining trend. During the India–England T20 series in early 2025, Hotstar’s mobile audience nearly doubled to 27.4 million, while time spent streaming increased by 129%. Globally, the Super Bowl LIX generated over 611 million social actions, and Wimbledon 2025 recorded a historic 226 million engagements, underscoring the worldwide rise of live, digital-first sports experiences.
The Road to 2026
With a packed global calendar featuring the Winter Olympics, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, FIFA Men’s World Cup, and Formula 1’s expanding circuits, Comscore predicts even greater digital integration across sports and brands.
The report concludes with three key imperatives for marketers:
- Adopt cross-platform measurement to truly understand audience behavior.
- Deepen engagement by identifying interest-based audience clusters.
- Recognize that social media is now the arena, not just a marketing channel.
A New Playbook for Sports Marketing
As India cements its place among the world’s most dynamic digital sports markets, the Comscore report underscores a clear shift: the future of sports engagement will be mobile, social, and measurable—driven by data, powered by fandom, and sustained through meaningful partnerships.
