Jio most active technology, media, and telecom brand in sports sponsorship in APAC in 2025, reveals GlobalData
The technology, media, and telecom sector in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has experienced significant change recently, particularly in sports sponsorship. Some key brands within the APAC market include Jio, Migu, TCL, and J:COM. With nine deals, all with teams which compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL), specifically serving as their team sponsor, including Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, Jio is the most active technology, media, and telecom brand in sports sponsorship in the region, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’ s latest report, “Sponsorship Sector Report – Technology, Media, & Telecom – APAC 2025,” reveals that soccer leads in both annual sponsorship revenue and deal volume across the region. The Chinese Basketball Association’s (CBA) deal with Migu is the largest partnership across the region.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Sponsoring multiple teams in the same competition—including large-market franchises such as Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Kolkata Knight Riders—gives Jio exposure to diverse regional fan bases and televised matches throughout the IPL season. Cricket, particularly the IPL, is one of the highest-impact sports properties in the APAC region, especially in India. Jio therefore leverages fans’ emotional connections with the teams to reinforce its consumer services, including telecommunications and digital apps.”
Several esports properties account for some of the largest deals in the region, including Bilibili Gaming, DreamSmart, Weibo Gaming, TapTap, and the League of Legends Pro League. The esports industry has seen exponential growth in recent years in both viewership and participation, particularly in APAC, which has some of the largest gaming markets in the world. This growth presents tech brands with a vast, engaged audience. Weibo Gaming’s partnership with TapTap, the gaming software company, is worth mentioning, given the deal represents a rapidly growing esports and gaming landscape in Asia, particularly China.
Snooks continues: “The partnership exemplifies a wider pattern of cooperation in China’s esports ecosystem, underscoring how alliances among teams, platforms, and sponsors are fueling industry growth. Other noteworthy deals include Bilibili’s agreement with DreamSmart, TCL’s League of Legends partnership, and T1’s collaboration with SK Telecom.”
CBA’s deal with Migu ran from 2020–21 to 2024–25 and concluded in May 2025. The deal designated China Mobile as the CBA’s official partner, while Migu served as the association’s digital media and exclusive 5G partner. The deal was worth an estimated $12.25 million per year—almost five times larger than any other deal in the region.
Snooks concludes: “In China, tech platforms dominate content distribution, so teaming up with a major provider like Migu is often essential to attain nationwide reach and effectively monetize digital audiences. For Migu, its collaboration with the CBA guarantees exclusive streaming rights and bolsters user engagement and market standing in China.”
- Quotes provided by Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData
- Information based on GlobalData’s latest report, “Sponsorship Sector Report – Technology, Media, & Telecom – APAC 2025”, which explores all the main active brands in the sector as well as details the movement in the sector over the last few years in the sports sponsorship industry.
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