Something I posted in other forums but is valid for this thread:
I am from India and lived there for 21 years before I moved to US for higher studies. The money in India is not going to come from replica shirts. The money in India is going to come from TV sponsorships and other advertising opportunities. If we establish a sizeable fan base in India, there will be companies who will want to use LFC brand to advertise their products - Hero honda, Reliance, Tata, Sahara etc.
There is a decent following of football in India compared to other countries. It is not a market like the US. People are knowledgeable about the game. During world cup time, almost everyone I know watches the important games.
PL and CL are growing in importance in India. You will be amazed at the coverage of the game in India. IMO, I repeat IMO, muct better than the coverage in the United States. PL more than the CL because of the timing. For CL we have to wake up till 3 AM to finish watching the game. But PL is on Saturday and Sunday from 5 PM to 12 PM.
Cricket will always be the #1 draw in India. But the fight for #2 sports draw is still open. I would say it is going to be a close fight between F1 and the PL. And there is a very high chance that the PL will win.
In general, outside of cricket India does not have a good sports team. So the sports aficionados have always watched followed sports from other countries and even participated in the rivalry from afar. All through my high school and college I remember having fierce discussion with my mates about various important sporting events: tennis ( wimbledon, french open, and all grand slams), football( world cup, euros, and from around 1996 the PL and CL), F1( from around 1998).
I am from India and lived there for 21 years before I moved to US for higher studies. The money in India is not going to come from replica shirts. The money in India is going to come from TV sponsorships and other advertising opportunities. If we establish a sizeable fan base in India, there will be companies who will want to use LFC brand to advertise their products - Hero honda, Reliance, Tata, Sahara etc.
There is a decent following of football in India compared to other countries. It is not a market like the US. People are knowledgeable about the game. During world cup time, almost everyone I know watches the important games.
PL and CL are growing in importance in India. You will be amazed at the coverage of the game in India. IMO, I repeat IMO, muct better than the coverage in the United States. PL more than the CL because of the timing. For CL we have to wake up till 3 AM to finish watching the game. But PL is on Saturday and Sunday from 5 PM to 12 PM.
Cricket will always be the #1 draw in India. But the fight for #2 sports draw is still open. I would say it is going to be a close fight between F1 and the PL. And there is a very high chance that the PL will win.
In general, outside of cricket India does not have a good sports team. So the sports aficionados have always watched followed sports from other countries and even participated in the rivalry from afar. All through my high school and college I remember having fierce discussion with my mates about various important sporting events: tennis ( wimbledon, french open, and all grand slams), football( world cup, euros, and from around 1996 the PL and CL), F1( from around 1998).
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