At the SportzPower ProLeagues Forum 2025, hosted on December 10, 2025, at Boundary Hall, MCA Recreation Centre, BKC, Mumbai, industry leaders unpacked one of the most influential shifts in modern sports, the rise of sportainment. With Indian fans increasingly expecting immersive, culturally rich, and entertainment-driven experiences, the panel analysed how ProLeagues must now function as both sports properties and entertainment brands. The session set the stage for understanding fan behaviour, content consumption patterns, and the commercial future of engagement.
The event continued its deep dive into India’s evolving sports landscape with an engaging session titled “The Rise of Sportainment: Blending Sport, Entertainment and Fan Culture in India’s Pro Leagues.” The panel brought together voices shaping modern fan experiences: Hemant Dua (CEO, Seattle Orcas), Arun Sadasivan (Founder, FanPlay), and Aakriti Vohra (LaLiga India), moderated by Jagadeesh Krishnamurthy, EVENTFAQS.
Aakriti set the tone by explaining LaLiga’s India strategy and the importance of understanding local audiences. “LaLiga is being broadcast on OTT and FanCode. We partner with institutes that know how to deal with Indian audiences—it helps us understand our target audience and fan perspective.”
Hemant spoke about navigating global formats within an Indian context, especially from the lens of Major League Cricket’s growth. “We’re trying to take small steps that are led by Indians on a big level. We are trying to adopt changes in the US. The infrastructure in India doesn’t really match or support the idea of Indian sports, and that directly impacts revenue.”
Arun highlighted the complexity of India’s sports consumer market, “In India, we have different people and different brands for almost everything. Your performance is calculated by your consumers and the reach of your content.”
Comparing international markets, Hemant added, “The USA and UK have their own pattern to understand consumers. Sponsors want to know their ROI—they’re focused on experience because they understand the psyche of their fans.”
Aakriti pointed out the commercial lens brands bring to partnerships, “Brands look for their logo and name around the event—it’s a very media-driven thing.”
Arun expanded on the importance of treating fans as people, not data points, “You have to make a fan feel that he is not a target—make him part of your system, show that his loyalty is rewarded. Brands and companies know how important it is to maintain that relationship.”
Aakriti said, “Cake has to be good, the cream decides its taste so each layer enhances the sports”.
Hemant stressed that sportainment cannot revolve solely around metrics, “Sports offers more than numbers. Brands and people have to understand each other mutually. Brands are at the centre, but we must adapt to what fans want.”
Arun discussed the growing role of data in shaping fan engagement strategies, “Teams are now data houses—they have all the information about their fans to observe and record. Smart stadiums could be a game changer, but we need the technology and infrastructure.”
Aakriti closed the discussion by highlighting a key cultural insight, “Indian fans like to be treated specially—it gives them a sense of relatability.”
The session made it clear that India’s sportainment era will be defined by deeper fan understanding, data-backed decisions, cultural adaptation, and experiences that blend sport with storytelling, identity and emotion.
