NBA 2K: Sunny Malik, the Business Head of India Shares How the Company Plans To Grow the Popularity of Its Esports League, and More

Editor's Note: NBA India provided IGN India access to Sunny Malik for this interview.

2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive has partnered with National Basketball Association (NBA) to make all the official NBA video games. The company releases new NBA games on an annual release schedule as with most other sports centric games like EA FC, F1, and more. This partnership also extends to esports as the NBA 2K League serves as the ground zero for competitive gaming for fans of the franchise.

It is no surprise that NBA is quite popular in India, and the 2022-23 season garnered over 100 million unique viewers across the country. To understand how NBA plans on driving this popularity of the sport towards its esports league, IGN India spoke with Sunny Malik, NBA India’s Business Head for Global Partnerships and Media.

We asked Mr. Malik about what drove NBA to invest in the Indian esports ecosystem, the current viewership stats as well as their plan and strategy to increase the viewership. He also spoke about Loco's role in promoting the esports league in India and the collaborations with popular gaming content creators such as Soul_Sid, Kanika Gaming, Kaztro, Eagle Gaming, and more. Here is the complete conversation with Sunny Malik around NBA 2K League and beyond.

Moulik Mathur: What drove NBA to invest in the esports space of the Indian market through NBA 2K League?

Sunny Malik: India has a rapidly growing gaming and esports landscape – a recent report suggests that the domestic e-sports industry grew to USD40 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD140 million by 2027 - which presents a huge opportunity for the NBA. The country's large youth population, increasing internet penetration, and enthusiastic gaming culture make it an attractive market.

And given the success of the NBA 2K League (NBA 2KL) globally, our entry into the local market was a natural extension. Given the growing popularity of basketball in India, streaming the NBA 2K League, provides us with different avenues to engage Indian NBA fans in new and immersive ways.

Moulik Mathur: What are the plans and strategies in place to introduce as well as increase NBA 2K League viewership in India?

Sunny Malik: We have a multiyear association with Loco, India’s leading esports and live game platform, to stream the NBA 2K League in India. Through this, our aim is to build and grow a community for NBA 2KL in India, by making it more interactive and engaging for Indian gaming audiences. We’ve done this through activations with the strong streamer and gaming influencer network, collaborations and community driven initiatives like watch parties. Overall, there has been a continued focus on localization, aimed at bringing three worlds together - the Indian gaming community, NBA 2K fans and basketball fans.
To expand our reach, we're also actively exploring new and exciting collaboration with other partners to build traction among the vast gaming audience.

Moulik Mathur: The NBA 2K League 2023 season kicked off in March, can you share the viewership stats from India for the current season? What are the steps planned by the NBA to improve further?

Sunny Malik: The NBA 2K League 2023 season was an action-packed one, with the league's best 12 teams battling it out for a share of the USD1M prize pool. As mentioned previously, in India we’ve partnered with Loco to livestream NBA 2K League games, and we’ve witnessed some compelling numbers - an encouraging year-over-year viewership increase, with total views for the current season reaching 3.8+ million, registering a 3.7x growth in unique live viewers compared to last season.

Through regular promotions, associating with the right streamers and influencers, hosting interactive watch parties and active community engagement, we’re excited to continue driving this momentum in the next season as well.

Moulik Mathur: Has the association with Loco helped the NBA to increase popularity of the esports league in India?

Sunny Malik: Absolutely. The collaboration with Loco as the exclusive broadcaster for NBA 2K League matches in India has been instrumental in elevating the league's popularity in the region. Since 2021, we've witnessed a remarkable surge in total views for the league on Loco, exceeding 23x growth.

Loco's proactive approach in enhancing viewer engagement, including in-app branding, forging strategic partnerships, and hosting interactive watch parties, has played a pivotal role in this success. Renowned Loco streamers like Kaztro, Eagle Gaming, Kaashvi, Soul_Sid, Psycho, Kanika Gaming, and others have actively mobilized their substantial audiences, contributing to the league's expanded viewership.

The watch parties hosted on the Loco platform not only offer fans the chance to spectate the league's action but also facilitate direct interaction with their favorite Loco streamers, further bolstering the league's viewership and solidifying Loco's role in the NBA’s growth strategy for the NBA 2K League in India.

Moulik Mathur: Are there plans to build the 2KL franchise in India?

Sunny Malik: International markets, including India, have become a priority for the NBA 2KL franchise to expand globally as is evident from the recent entry of NBL Oz Gaming, the first team from Australia, and Mexico City making history by becoming the first international franchise to win an NBA 2K League championship. Hopefully, India will be part of our further international expansion in the future.

Moulik Mathur: Will the NBA also partner with content creators, streamers, or esports players in India to drive the growth of NBA 2K League? We couldn't figure anything if there were already any such collaborations.

Sunny Malik: The NBA’s strategic collaboration with Loco in India has significantly bolstered the growth of the NBA 2K League in the country by harnessing the influence of prominent content creators, streamers, and esports players. Loco has played a pivotal role in connecting with top-tier gaming creators and esports athletes who consistently dominate viewership charts. This partnership has seen notable figures like Eagle Gaming, Psycho, Kaztro, Kanika Gaming, Soul_Sid, S8UL and GTX Preet actively promoting live NBA 2K League games.

Moreover, the innovative marketing campaigns have extended beyond the gaming sphere, as seen in our association with Overtime India, where they recreated iconic NBA 2K League moments on a real basketball court. This creative approach has not only captivated fans of the sport but also further engaged the league's followers.

As the NBA looks ahead to the next season, we will work with Loco to continue to deepen our involvement in India, ensuring sustained growth and engagement.