Rathindra Basu, IMG vice president and head of India, South Asia and regional sales APAC, is a veteran in the sports ecosystem with over 25 years in the business. In a conversation with SportzPower, Basu offered a deep dive into the vision for the coming decade at the global sports marketing agency, now under the TKO Group Holdings umbrella.
Basu explained that the company has undergone a fundamental shift under president Adam Kelly. "We are trying to get away from a purely transactional business and have now evolved into a full service, embedded partner for a client or a federation," he said.
This means providing strategic advice and end-to-end delivery through capability centres including production (IMG Studios), rights, consulting, events, and digital.
The agency now demands more “skin in the game" from its consultants. Basu noted that clients such as JioStar or Sony want an agency to be "a part of their DNA and work almost like a division or a department within their organisation".
This approach is being applied to partners like Wimbledon, the Saudi Pro League, and Major League Soccer.
In the Indian market, which is dominated by cricket, IMG is expanding its reach. Basu cited a project with Major League Baseball (MLB) to introduce the sport at the grassroots level.
"If you educate people properly about the sport... and then work with a broadcaster who can amplify what you are doing... then there could be a story,” he explained. This project resulted in a partnership with JioStar and a documentary series created by the Studios team.
IMG is also working with the PGTI to develop golf in India. Basu praised the involvement of Kapil Dev, stating, "The value proposition which Kapil has already We are trying to get away from a purely transactional business and have now evolved into a full service, embedded partner for a client or a federation. Rathindra Basu, IMG Vice President brought in, it's fantastic."
He also highlighted growth in volleyball, rugby, and chess, noting that for sports other than cricket, the focus must be on regional "catchment areas".
Looking ahead to 2036, when India may bid for the Olympic Games, Basu sees a "transformational opportunity". He noted that the government has started creating a 10- year plan for infrastructure and talent development.
