otal Sports Asia (TSA), a leading sports marketing company in the continent, recently set up shop in the country. It sees India as one of the fastest growing sports marketing opportunity in the subcontinent. "Indian sports marketing is just about evolving into a professional one," says Navneet Sharma, managing director, Indian subcontinent and Middle East, Total Sports and Entertainment India (TSEI), the wholly owned subsidiary of TSA. "I see the industry growing two-fold in size in the next two-three years with the Internet, mobile and broadband playing a big part," adds Sharma.

Sharma is not alone in his optimism. A number of sports marketing companies have already reposed their faith in the country. Among them are IMG, Starcom�s Relay Worldwide and Percept D� Mark. With more than Rs 350 crore invested in sports marketing last year in India, this is a space that offers promising returns. TSEI claims it has an advantage over the others in the game, given its focus on Asia. The company has full-fledged operations in Japan (Tokyo), China (Shanghai) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). Says Marcus Luer, TSA group�s chief executive officer, "We see a lot of scope to build on our previous success with many global and domestic organisations here ready to enhance their brands� appeal through sport and entertainment." ... more