In a standout fireside chat at the APOS 2025 Summit in Bali, Sanjog Gupta, CEO – Sports & Live Experiences at JioStar, redefined the narrative around Indian sport—not as a domestic success story, but as a blueprint for global sports-media convergence.
Gupta’s insights, grounded in the record-breaking success of TATA IPL 2025, showcased India not just as a growing consumption market but as a proving ground for next-gen sports broadcasting, tech-led delivery, and content personalization at scale.
“India’s growing influence in sport is nothing but a reflection of India’s growing significance on the global stage,” Gupta said, framing the IPL’s billion-plus viewership not just as a ratings milestone, but as a symbol of India’s digital cultural capital.
From Broadcast to Ecosystem: The JioStar Paradigm
JioStar’s vision goes far beyond traditional sports coverage. As Gupta explained, over $500 million in non-rights investment (production, technology, marketing) has gone into building the product, not just the programming.
More importantly, sports is being strategically used as an onboarding funnel to the broader content economy—bringing users into the ecosystem via high-emotion events like IPL, and cross-pollinating them with titles like Criminal Justice and regional storytelling.
The model is closer to modern experiential retail than broadcasting: “It’s not pay at the gate,” Gupta said. “It’s try, engage, and then pay—a content aisle, not a checkout counter.”
Designing Infinite Journeys, Not Monolithic Streams
One of the most future-facing takeaways was JioStar’s commitment to personalized, non-linear content journeys.
“Don’t look to serve many fans as one. Look to serve each fan as many.”
This isn’t just talk. JioStar’s streaming of EPL in Indian languages has driven 3.5x growth in five years. And by professionalizing indigenous sports like Kabaddi, JioStar is betting on hyper-local to power hyper-scale.
It’s the fusion of personalization and purpose—designing platforms that are Inclusive, Intuitive, Interactive, and Immersive.
The Four-Phase Flywheel of India’s Digital Media Economy
Gupta mapped India’s digital content future through four phases:
- Attention – Captured by high-drama live sports
- Passion – Fuelled by community-led fandom
- Affiliation – Strengthened by cultural storytelling and regional alignment
- Action – Monetized through smart, freemium architectures
This model uniquely positions sports to act as a full-stack engagement engine—from awareness to transaction.
What This Means for the Industry
JioStar isn’t just setting a domestic standard—it’s establishing a scalable framework for markets with growing digital penetration, fragmented fandoms, and aspirational middle classes.
For rightsholders, leagues, federations, and broadcasters around the world, there’s a lesson here: live sport isn’t just a product—it’s a platform. A gateway. A trigger for diversified growth.
