Dentsu India Appoints Paroma Dayal as VP — Sports, Gaming, eSports & Live Experiences

Introduction

Sports sponsorship in India is no longer just about logo placement on a jersey. It is about cultural integration, gaming ecosystems, live experience design, esports audiences, and data-driven brand-IP matchmaking. The brands and agencies that understand this shift are building dedicated practices — and the talent leading those practices will define how Indian brands engage with audiences at the intersection of culture and commerce for the next decade. Dentsu India has just made one of the more significant hires in this space: Paroma Dayal joins as Vice President — Sports, Gaming, eSports & Live Experiences, stepping into a role built for exactly this moment.

The Big Announcement

Dentsu India has appointed Paroma Dayal as Vice President — Sports, Gaming, eSports & Live Experiences, a senior leadership role within the agency's recently launched dedicated Sports & Entertainment division in India.

In her new position, Dayal will report to Rohit Potphode, Managing Partner — Sports, Gaming, eSports & Live Experiences, and work closely with Yosuke Murai, Head of dentsu Sports & Entertainment India, and the broader leadership team.

Her mandate is commercially ambitious: leading partnerships across sports, gaming, esports, and live experiences, with responsibility for sponsorship sales, new business development, strategic deal closures, and high-value brand-IP integrations. She will also leverage dentsu's full suite of capabilities — media, creative, data, and content — to deliver unified, cross-platform partnership solutions.

This appointment builds on dentsu's recent launch of its dedicated Sports & Entertainment division in India — its first dedicated market rollout following the global unveiling at Cannes Lions 2025 — reinforcing the network's focus on bridging culture and commerce through sports, esports, anime, influencer ecosystems, and content-driven experiences.

What This Means for Your Brand

Paroma Dayal's appointment at dentsu carries clear implications for brands, rights holders, and agencies operating across India's sports and entertainment marketing landscape.

Dentsu is building a full-service sports and entertainment partnership engine. The combination of a dedicated division, senior commercial leadership, and integration across media, creative, data, and content capabilities positions dentsu to offer brands something more sophisticated than traditional sponsorship consulting — genuinely integrated, insight-led partnership solutions that connect brand objectives with cultural moments audiences care about.

Dayal's 17-year track record spans exactly the right platforms. Her experience across Quora, MX Player, Viacom18, Star India, India Today Group, Network18, and NDTV covers the full spectrum of India's media and entertainment ecosystem. Her work on marquee properties — MTV Roadies, MTV Splitsvilla, MTV Hustle, MTV Unplugged — and esports-led branded content initiatives like Gamers Den at MX Player demonstrates a rare ability to operate across both legacy entertainment formats and emerging digital-native content environments.

The esports and gaming dimension is particularly significant. India's gaming audience has scaled dramatically, and brands are still figuring out how to engage authentically within these communities. Having a VP-level leader with hands-on esports partnership experience gives dentsu a meaningful edge in a space where most agencies are still developing their capabilities.

For brands seeking integrated sports and entertainment partnerships in India, dentsu's expanded practice is now a more compelling conversation partner than it was twelve months ago.

Expert Take

Dentsu's Sports & Entertainment division launch in India — its first dedicated market following the global Cannes Lions 2025 rollout — reflects a broader industry recognition that sports, gaming, and live experiences represent one of the highest-growth areas in brand partnership investment globally.

India is particularly well-positioned for this growth. Cricket's commercial ecosystem continues to expand, esports viewership among Gen Z audiences is accelerating, and live entertainment experiences are attracting increasing brand investment post-pandemic. The agency that can credibly serve brands across all three of these arenas simultaneously — with data, creative, and commercial capabilities integrated — has a significant competitive advantage.

Dayal's profile reflects the multi-dimensional expertise this environment demands. Her background spanning branded content, sponsorships, influencer ecosystems, and integrated advertising across digital, television, and live platforms makes her well-suited to architect the kind of culturally rooted, commercially driven partnership solutions dentsu is positioning itself to deliver.

The brands.in Perspective

Dentsu did not just hire a sports marketing executive — it hired a cultural commerce architect.

The distinction matters in 2026. Sports and entertainment partnerships in India have moved well beyond badge sponsorships and TVC integrations. The brands winning in this space are building genuine cultural relevance through creator collaborations, gaming community engagement, live experience design, and IP co-creation. Paroma Dayal's track record across exactly these disciplines — combined with dentsu's integrated agency capabilities — creates a partnership offering that could genuinely move the needle for brands seeking deeper audience connection. The brands.in prediction: watch for some landmark brand-IP integrations from dentsu India's Sports & Entertainment practice before the year is out.

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• Paroma Dayal joins dentsu India as VP — Sports, Gaming, eSports & Live Experiences
• Reports to Rohit Potphode and works with Yosuke Murai within dentsu's dedicated Sports & Entertainment division
• 17 years of experience across Quora, MX Player, Viacom18, Star India, Network18, NDTV, and India Today
• Mandate spans sponsorship sales, brand-IP integrations, new business development, and cross-platform partnership solutions
• Dentsu's Sports & Entertainment division launched in India following its global debut at Cannes Lions 2025

FAQ

What is dentsu's Sports & Entertainment division in India? It is dentsu's dedicated practice focused on building brand partnerships across sports, esports, gaming, anime, influencer ecosystems, and live experiences in India — the network's first dedicated market launch following the global rollout at Cannes Lions 2025.

What experience does Paroma Dayal bring to dentsu? Dayal brings over 17 years of experience across major Indian media and entertainment platforms, with a strong track record in branded content, sponsorship, esports partnerships, and integrated advertising across digital, television, and live formats.

Why is sports and entertainment marketing growing in India? Rising cricket commercialisation, rapid esports audience growth among Gen Z, and increasing brand investment in live experiences are collectively making sports and entertainment one of the highest-growth segments in India's brand partnership landscape — attracting significant agency investment and talent.

Closing

In a market where audiences are fragmenting across screens, platforms, and experiences, the brands that win will be those that show up where culture is actually happening — in stadiums, gaming arenas, live events, and esports tournaments. Is your brand building the partnerships that put you inside those moments?

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