Laying bare the business side of all the sports we love - directly from the ones who know it best. CEOs, Coaches, Players, and Agents break it down for you - dazzling deals, broken promises, contracts and conflicts --- on the field and off it, in board rooms. Negotiation masterstrokes or the brutal war over rights - this is the Business of Sports.
Reliance - EPL: An exclusive chat with Sunil Chhetri on starting young and making it big
Catch 'Em Young & Go for Goal: On the sidelines of the largest Under 21 youth tournament nationwide - the Reliance Foundation Development League, host Arijit Barman sits down with India's most famous footballer Sunil Chhetri.In a candid tell-all chat, this Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awardee reveal what it takes to start young and strike big in the fast-moving football ecosystem in India. The captain of Bangalore FC and the Indian National Team dives into creating not just players but passion for football across the nation.
Credits: Soccer Freak (G21)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5/31/2023 • 31 minutes, 43 seconds
Reliance - EPL: Catch 'Em Young & Go for Goal - Part 1
Catch 'Em Young & Go for Goal: The largest Under 21 youth tournament nationwide - the Reliance Foundation Development League - with teams across 9 regions in India from ISL, I-League division 1st & 2nd division and even Independent Academies nominated is striving to build a robust pipeline of the future cohort of champions who can match the best in class. Simultaneously, for the last 2 years, the Next Generation Cup has been conceived in partnership with English Premier League to expose our domestic talent with peers who are poised to break out in England or South Africa or any other playing nation that are ranked far higher than us.
Host Arijit Barman gets you this two-part special with
Neil Saunders, Director of Football at Premier League
Sunil Chhetri, India’s captain
Siddharth Shanker, Head of Sports at Reliance Foundation
On why developing young talent goes hand in hand with long-term success. Also on the show was a young player from Everton, James Collins, Head Coach of the Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chencho Dorji, Head Coach of the young and upcoming Sudeva Delhi – the first Bhutanese coach leading any club in the history of the I-League and many more in this power-packed show.
Credits: aranFE
You can follow our host Arijit Barman on his social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arijitbarman76
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arijit-barman-7233a129/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5/31/2023 • 41 minutes, 51 seconds
Can Indian PSUs kick off the football fever once again?
Office teams that once produced the best playing talent and packed grounds that once saw nail-biting games lie bare and quiet. AIFF wants to start a home-and-away league for public sector enterprises. But sustaining it will be easier said than a kick-off.
Host Arijit Barman speaks to Shaji Prabhakaran, AIFF’s Secretary-General, Jitu Chetry, Manager of Oil India Ltd’s football team and a Former East Bengal Goalkeeper, Dhronacharya Award Winner and legendary Air India Coach Bimal Ghosh, Bibek Bhowmick, Former ONGC Coach and a host of current PSU team officials from Central Railways, Bank of Baroda, and Income Tax Department among others to understand if this can work in 2023 when football lovers are glued to international tournaments more than local counterparts. For long politicians or babus who had nothing to do with football ran the sport and ran into the ground. Reviving the game among PSUs is one great step in taking football to the grassroots, to broaden its base. The present generation of fans does not recollect an ITI being joint-winners of the first Federation Cup and Air India, regularly causing upsets playing in packed capacities. We have had too many flash-in-the-pan efforts. We can ill afford such misadventures in 2023 when even smaller Asian countries like Vietnam, Bahrain and Jordan are ahead of us in FIFA Rankings.
Credits: Kisku Dada 1, I-League Official, Indian Football Edits 2.0, Wild FIlms India, Indian Football
You can follow our host Arijit Barman on his social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/arijitbarman76Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arijit-barman-7233a129/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5/14/2023 • 40 minutes, 17 seconds
IPL Pitch Report with Viacom18’s CEO
The chief executive of Sports at Viacom 18 Media, Anil Jayaraj. fields bouncers, googlies and even an occasional doosra from host Arijit Barman as the battle for eyeballs gets played both on and off the field this season. It’s the first time the media rights are split between Viacom18 and Disney holding the digital and television rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both sides are bowling beamers at each other, claiming superior viewership numbers and each asserting conflicting claims of superiority of their respective platforms. Recently, Viacom 18 even said over 2 crore concurrent viewers watched a game! But after bidding Rs 50 crore per match, adding up to a total Rs 20,500 crore for the next 5 seasons (2023-27) will there be any money left to be made, especially when streaming is free at least for now? To explain the high stakes game, Jayaraj pads up for the power play.Credits: CNN-News18, Jio Cinema, CNBC-TV18See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4/30/2023 • 29 minutes, 33 seconds
Online Game Play: Centre vs States & The Thriving Illegals
Rajeev Chandrasekhar a former telecom tycoon from the early 2000s turned politician who is well aware of the fractious relationship between the state and private enterprises, is now, as a minister, trying to play referee in another equally high stakes match involving a sector that is perceived to be a problem child to many and therefore has often been at logger heads with the taxman, regulators, politicians and the policymakers – online gaming. Last week he tried to bring in some semblance of sanity by notifying new online gaming rules through amendments to the IT Act… Industry calls it pathbreaking yet states like Tamil Nadu opted for an outright ban within a day of the Centre's notification. Yet in this ongoing chaos, the real illegal sites still run amok, despite an all out crackdown. Jay Sayta, Gaming & Technology Lawyer, Sarah Ramanauskas, Partner, Gaming Integrity, and Trivikraman Thampy, Founder-CEO, Games24x7 join host Arijit Barman to download the changing game scape while retired Madras High Court judge K. Chandru argues why a ban is not a bane.
Credit: Parimatch India, CNBC-TV1, Campaign India, Hyvestudio,
You can follow our host Arijit Barman on his social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/arijitbarman76Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arijit-barman-7233a129/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4/14/2023 • 42 minutes, 16 seconds
Understanding The Sports Fan - The Ultimate Customer (Part 1)
On part 1 of this special two part episode we introduce our guest co-host Shiv Burman from our knowledge partners Burman Sports as we speak to some of the sharpest minds of the sports industry - G Srinivasan, someone who has worked across all aspects of the sports universe, Sudhir Shukla, a marketing and brand management guru, Hrishikesh Shende, formerly of Adidas and Rakesh Patel, founder of Bharat Army as we break down the different types of Indian fans and ask the question - why are leagues and teams struggling to optimise fan monetisation and what are the challenges in a diverse socio-economic country like IndiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3/31/2023 • 40 minutes, 36 seconds
Understanding The Sports Fan - The Ultimate Customer (Part 2)
On part 2 we explore the potential solutions to this dilemma as our panel gets creative in recommending different methods of bridging the gap between what fans want and what they are currently experiencing. We speak with a crack panel of experts - G Srinivasan, someone who has worked across all aspects of the sports universe, Sudhir Shukla, a marketing and brand management guru, Hrishikesh Shende, formerly of Adidas and Rakesh Patel, founder of the Bharat Army as we break down the different types of Indian fans and ask the question - why are leagues and teams struggling to optimise fan monetisation and what are the challenges in a diverse socio-economic country like IndiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3/31/2023 • 34 minutes, 24 seconds
Formula E: Sustainability in Top Gear
India hosts its first ever first-ever Formula E-Prix, the electric equivalent of a Formula 1 race kicked off in Hyderabad on Feb 11th before it tours off to Cape Town and Brazil. In this episode host, Arijit Barman travels to Hyderabad, the 30th pitstop for Formula E as he goes BTS on how motor racing is putting sustainability on the fast track. Featuring single-seater, electrically powered Formula E cars with batteries charged by solar farms in the state of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and then fed to the grid, the event featured teams such as Maserati MSG Racing, Tag Heuer Porsche, Neom McLaren, Avalanche Andretti, DS Penske, ABT Cupra, NIO 333 and Envision Racing as well as Mahindra Formula E and Jaguar TCS from the Tata Group. Credits: ABB Formula E, NEOM and Mahindra Racing,
We spoke to:
Leading teams:NEOM McLaren, Mahindra Formula E and Tag Heaur Porsche - Ian James - Team Principal of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team and Managing Director of NEOM McLaren Electric Racing;- Florian Modlinger - Director Factory Motorsport Formula E at TAG Heuer Porsche - Frederic Bertrand, CEO & Team Principal - Mahindra Racing
Event organizers and promotors:- Dilbagh Gill, CEO - Ace Nxt Gen; - Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty - Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Greenko Group; - Mahesh Kolli - Founder, President & Joint Managing Director - Greenko GroupYou can follow our host Arijit Barman on his social media: Twitter and LinkedinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2/14/2023 • 39 minutes, 9 seconds
Women's IPL: A league of their own
Fifteen years ago, at the inaugural season of IPL, eight franchises were bought for around $724 million. In 2023, five teams for season 1 of Women's Premier League ( WPL) were bought for a cumulative $572 million. It took 26 years for the US women's basketball team to fetch a $1 billion valuation. So if you thought cricket was a gentleman's game you must have been living under a rock. Top corporates Reliance, Adani, JSW, Diageo or brands like Puma and Mastercard have sensed an untapped potential in a cohort that represents the country's 49%. Hosts Arijit Barman & Karan Ravishankar ask Rajesh V. Menon, VP & Head, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shreya Sachdev, Head of Marketing at Puma & Manasi Narasimhan, Vice President & Head, Marketing South Asia at Mastercard the path to monetisation and beyond.
Credits: ThePapar.com, Hotstar, SonyLiv, ICC, England & Wales Cricket Board, cricket.com.au, FancodeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2/7/2023 • 35 minutes, 52 seconds
Is Hockey getting the attention it deserves?
On this episode Karan Ravishankar travels to Odisha as he gets all the scoop from the stadiums as we break down everything it takes to host a World Cup. He speaks to supporters, players, organizers and sponsors including Thierry Weil, CEO of the FIH, Mr. R Vineel Krishna, Commissioner cum Secretary, Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha and Chanakya Chaudhary, VP of Corporate Services for Tata Steel to highlight where we are as a nation when it comes to the state of hockey - the numbers, the response, the future outlook. Is the sport of hockey primed to make a comeback?
Credits: International Hockey Federation, Curly Tales
Catch the latest episode of The Business of Sports on your favorite podcast streaming platform - ET Play, The Economic Times, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn and Amazon MusicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1/31/2023 • 35 minutes, 10 seconds
Gold or Nothing? India’s Sporting Legacy with Abhinav Bindra
On this episode we speak to Abhinav Bindra, India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medallist as he breaks down the impact of Sport in our society with hosts Karan Ravishankar and Uday Jhala. Are we too obsessed with chasing medals or should we be looking at the larger impact sport can have on shaping our lives?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1/24/2023 • 33 minutes, 1 second
Running Cost of Running a Marathon
Asia's biggest marathon, the Tata Mumbai Marathon with 55,000 runners, 7 different categories captured the spirit of Mumbai. The running revolution comes with a price tag. In this episode ET's Arijit Barman talks to Vivek Singh, Joint Managing Director of Procam International, the man who has been jointly running the show with his brother Anil since the inception of the race in 2003-04. Today Procam is behind all the major marathons in India -- including New Delhi, Bangalore & Kolkata. Vivek shares what goes behind the scenes and what it costs to organise such mega events. Also in the episode, Mathew Cyriac, Executive Chairman Florintree & former co-head, Blackstone India, on why has backed Procam, the only external investor thus far to do so and Neil Chakravarti, director at Initium Productions and Strategic Advisor to Procam -- the man behind the broadcasting of Mumbai marathon who talks about the logistics and the scope of making a participation sport a game changer in India, through monetisation across linear TV and in the metaverse. Its a relay of of the cost of running on the Business of Sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1/17/2023 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
The Testimonials From The Tata Mumbai Marathon
The rush to run, from weightless to destressing to charity; everyone has their rationale to go the extra mile. Here are a few select voices amid a rising running revolution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1/17/2023 • 5 minutes, 24 seconds
Playing Field: What 2022 tells us about 2023 with Joy Bhattacharjya and Indrajit Hazra
The biggest sporting stories of the year gone by and the stage for 2023, it’s game on in the new year. In this episode
Explosion of e-sports in India, from competitive gaming to e-sports there is a new league of players and fans in town.
Qatar Football World Cup deep dive – the tech take the game to new highs
Golf Wars: PGA vs LIV Golf drama continues, what does the drama between
American-based tour and Saudi Arabia backed LIV puts question marks on the future of golf.
Women sports take centre stage from IPL to weight lifting, shooting to races
Host Uday Jhala and Karan Ravishankar speak to Sports Buff Indrajit Hazra, Editor Views, Economic Times. & Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO of the Prime Volleyball League as well as the director general of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sport.
Credits: Eurosport Tennis, UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship, SEN Sports, ICC, FORMULA 1, NBC Sports, House of Highlights, Australian open TV, US Open Tennis Channel, beIN SPORTS AsiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1/10/2023 • 45 minutes, 55 seconds
The IPL Auction 2023: The numbers, the strategy, the masterplan with Justin Geale and Jeet Banerjee
On this episode, we speak with Justin Geale, Tournament Director of Major League Cricket and the former Director of Operations for the IPL and Jeet Banerjee, MD at Gameplan Sports as well as the man who controlled the IPL auction paddle for a number of years for KKR. Our hosts Karan Ravishankar and Uday Jhala are invited in for a unique masterclass as we receive an education in what goes on behind the scenes at an IPL auction - how it works, what the strategies are, the mind games employed and the intense boiler room pressure situation of auction day.Credit: Cricket InfoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12/20/2022 • 45 minutes, 46 seconds
Qatar 2022: The Burning Questions with Tom Byer and Akshay Tandon
On this episode we speak to Tom Byer, former AFC Technical Advisor and credited with transforming Japan’s football development structure and Akshay Tandon, President of FC Goa and one of the youngest administrators in world sport. Our host Arijit Barman hosts a lively debate on the globalisation of the beautiful game as our panel dissects the flashpoints and storylines from the World Cup so far. Credits: FIFA, Viacom18 Sports & Jio CinemaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12/13/2022 • 45 minutes, 37 seconds
Pro Kabaddi League - The Underdog Story with Anupam Goswami
It is game on for Pro Kabbadi League 2022. This week's episode guest is Anupam Goswami - League Commissioner, Vivo Pro Kabaddi League discusses the gameplan of success that has made PKL wildly popular. From the brainchild of Charu Sharma to the broadcast brilliance of Star is PKL ready for a global explosion? aHost Karan Ravishankar in a candid chat with Anupam Goswami on what it to grow a fanbase for a new homegrown Indian sport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12/6/2022 • 26 minutes, 5 seconds
How to build an athlete into a brand with Nikhil Bardia
This week, we speak with Nikhil Bardia, head of Sponsorship Sales and Talent at RISE Worldwide. Our host Karan Ravishankar has a frank conversation about the changing commercial face of the sports industry, how brands interact with franchises and how these deals are cracked, with a view from the inside. We further go into Nikhil’s experience building the talent management vertical at RISE Worldwide. The roster includes power hitters Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah amongst other big sporting names.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/29/2022 • 40 minutes, 45 seconds
India's Football Fever: Will we ever compete in a FIFA World Cup?
As FIFA kicks off the World Cup in Qatar, host Uday Jhala talks to Neel Shah, former director of fan development for the MLS and author of the book Awakening the Blue Tigers: India’s Quest for Football’s Holy Grail. We tackle the perennial question of when Team India will be able to qualify for the Football World Cup. He breaks down the step by step process required to overhaul a system in order for us to achieve our goals. Do we have what it takes?
Credit: FIFASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/22/2022 • 43 minutes, 39 seconds
How To Become A Professional Poker Player with Nikita Luther & Dhaval Mudgal
In this week’s episode, Our host Uday Jhala and Karan Ravishankar speak to Nikita Luther and Dhaval Mudgal, superstars of the Indian poker scene as they give us a masterclass into what it takes to becoming a successful professional poker player. They continue to drop aces on how to navigate the murky and often controversial world of the poker business in India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/15/2022 • 39 minutes, 18 seconds
India's Olympic Legacy with Mustafa Ghouse CEO of JSW Sports
In today's episode, we speak to Mustafa Ghouse CEO of JSW Sports , the organisation that is driving India's push to Olympic glory. Whether it is Neeraj Chopra, Sakshi Malik or Avinash Sable, what they all share in common is that they were scouted and trained at JSW Sport’s world class athletic facility - The Inspire Institute of Sport. We dig deep into what it takes to be a force on the Olympic stage as an athlete and the work that takes behind the scenes as a company nurturing these athletes. We find out how JSW Sport has invested heavily into the best infrastructure and coaches, sports scientists and other minds to propel India's push for Olympic glory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/8/2022 • 35 minutes, 13 seconds
IPL Franchises Going Global
As we enter an era of the multi-franchise ownership model, the landscape of ownership in the sports sector is changing fast. The injection of vast amounts of capital that is being infused into sports has led to the birth of ownership groups that own multiple clubs and franchises across multiple geographies. These goliath organisations are able to cover the entire life-cycle of sportsperson from their playing career to creating pathways for life after retiring as an active player. In today's episode our host Uday Jhala speaks to Jake Lush Mccrum - CEO of the Rajasthan Royals (IPL) & Barbados Royals (CPL). Both clubs are part of the multi-franchise ownership group under the name of Royal Sports Group that boasts of an ownership group consisting of Emerging Media IPL Limited's Manoj Badale, Bluewater Estate Limited's Lachlan Murdoch, US-based private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners. We discuss how such a varied ownership group works together and what each party brings to table, along with what it takes to run a global organisation like the Royal Sports Group that also welcomes the Paarl Royals in South Africa, as the newest member of its portfolio. We also discuss all things Rajasthan Royals and what the future holds for all their stakeholders and the IPL.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/1/2022 • 36 minutes, 11 seconds
Streaming Wars: The Rise of India's Hottest New Sports Streaming Platform
This week, host Karan Ravishankar deep dives into monetising the fandom of sports. Karan is joined by the Co-founder of Fancode, Yannick Colaco, a sports media stalwart with over 20 years of experience in the industry, having led brands like Nimbus Sport, NBA India and now Fancode. The Dream Sports backed OTT platform was founded in 2019 and has seen a meteoric rise in its adoption by sports fans in India since. We dig deep to understand changing trends in the world of sports media and broadcast. How does a company like Fancode, compete in an industry dominated by deep-pocketed goliaths like Star, Sony and the Reliance-backed Viacom18. Ad-free experiences or multi-stream broadcasts, what does the future of sports streaming look like? Yannick is driving this dimensional shift with Fancode, challenging the status quo, one ball at a time. We also discuss the processes surrounding the IPL media rights auction, the world's second most valuable sports property.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/25/2022 • 34 minutes, 19 seconds
The Changing Face of Cricket with Gary Kirsten
On the first episode of The Business of Sports, we discuss all things cricket with the legendary South African former player and coach Gary Kirsten. A household name in India, Gary Kirsten delivered the Indian Cricket Team to the promised land in 2011, winning the ODI World Cup after 28 years under his stewardship. Our host Uday Jhala goes in depth with Gary Kirsten about the evolution and future of cricket since the introduction of the T20 format, the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 being held in Australia, his coaching career, methods & best practices. They also talk about his new coaching venture CoachED and his experience coaching cricketing minnows - the Netherlands at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Credits: ICCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/18/2022 • 36 minutes, 31 seconds
Coming Up: The Candid Coach Gary Kirsten
We kickstart the series with all things cricket with the legendary South African former player and coach Gary Kirsten. Here is a quick trailer of what is lined up on Wednesday as host Uday Jhala goes about the changing face of cricket, questioning how much is too much and what it takes to be a "winning coach" in a candid conversation with the master coach that led the Indian team to a win in 2011. Episode 1 drops on Wednesday, October 19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.