Sports & Entertainment - IT & Business Advisory

Over 900 million cricket fans and participants in India contribute to the largest organised sports community in the world.

In addition to professional cricket and football teams, India hosts 10,000+ cricket academies and 50,000+ football clubs and counting

Startup activity in sports and entertainment technology is booming, with new ventures seeking non-Indian IT alliance partners, licensing agreements and AI platforms – with proven commercialized installations to reduce time-to-market implementations and development requirements

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The convergence of sports, entertainment, and technology has created one of India’s most dynamic and high-growth sectors. The intersection of data analytics, performance technology, digital fan engagement, and entertainment production IT is transforming how sports are played, consumed and commercialized, while Bollywood and digital media are undergoing rapid technological modernization.

India’s sports technology market is experiencing exponential growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over 20 percent driven by analytics, smart venues, wearable devices, e-sports, and fan engagement platforms. Analytics and statistics are among the fastest-growing segments in this market.

Simultaneously, India’s media and entertainment industry is poised to become one of the largest globally by 2028, supported by a diversified content pipeline, burgeoning digital platforms, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like AI rendering, virtual production, real-time rendering, CGI, VFX, and non-linear editing tools in mainstream filmmaking.

MAHESHWARI & CO., with a legacy of 6,000+ client engagements, stands at the forefront of Sports and IT legal and advisory services in India. With the launch of our Sports & Entertainment — IT & Business Advisory Practice, we deliver a holistic suite of services that meld legal excellence with business acumen to support clients entering or scaling within the Indian market.

Services Offered

Business formation and corporate structuring

Advisory on entity selection, establishment, and operational structuring for Indian and foreign businesses entering or expanding within India, including sports, entertainment, and technology-driven enterprises operating across multiple jurisdictions and market segments.

Incorporation and Foundational Documentation

Drafting, structuring, and negotiation of incorporation-related instruments, including articles of association, shareholder agreements, joint venture arrangements, and investment documentation tailored to cross-border sports, media, and technology ventures.

Corporate Governance and Ongoing Compliance

Governance advisory encompassing board processes, statutory and secretarial compliance, internal policies, and regulatory risk management, aligned with sector-specific operational and technology considerations.

Regulatory Filings and Licensing

Assistance with applicable filings, registrations, and approvals before relevant central and state authorities, including regulatory interfaces impacting sports operations, digital platforms, content distribution, and technology deployments.

Intellectual Property Protection and Commercialisation

Protection and enforcement of intellectual property assets, including: Copyrights (content, software, audiovisual works), Patents (technology, analytics, systems), Trademarks (brands, platforms, events) and Licensing and IP monetisation structures.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Transactions

Legal support for acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, and strategic alliances involving sports franchises, sports technology companies, media platforms, and entertainment ventures, including due diligence, transaction structuring, documentation, and closing support.

Contracts, Arbitration, and Litigation

Drafting, negotiation, and enforcement of commercial, technology, sponsorship, licensing, and services agreements, along with representation in arbitration and litigation arising from contractual, commercial, or regulatory disputes.

Tax Advisory and Statutory Filings

Coordination and advisory support for applicable local and federal tax filings, compliance obligations, and transaction-related tax structuring, in collaboration with domain specialists familiar with the sports, entertainment, and technology sectors.

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Business Advisory, Market Entry & Strategic Support

In addition to legal services, our practice provides hands-on business advisory, enabling clients to enter, operate, and scale successfully within the Indian market.

Where commercially appropriate and subject to regulatory considerations, we facilitate strategic introductions and meetings within the Indian sports and entertainment landscape. This includes access to professional cricket and football teams and leagues, established Indian sports technology companies exploring alliance or partnership opportunities, cricket and football academies, potential investors, platform operators, and other ecosystem participants.

Market Profiling and Entry Strategy

Sector-specific market assessment to evaluate commercial viability, regulatory exposure, and operational feasibility. We analyse and recommend the most effective Indian market entry tactics based on the client’s business model, risk appetite, and regulatory exposure, including whether to establish a new subsidiary, appoint a dedicated distributor, or operate through a private-label or reseller arrangement.

State of the Industry Analysis

Insights into current industry dynamics, emerging trends, and technology adoption patterns within India’s sports and entertainment ecosystems.

Ecosystem Introductions and Stakeholder Coordination

Structured facilitation and coordination to position client technologies and platforms before relevant Indian stakeholders, including sports teams, academies, leagues, aligned sports technology companies, and major bollywood entertainment and production houses, supporting partnership exploration and market validation.

Important Translation and Cultural Guidance

India is a huge country looking for sports and entertainment technology applications and technologies. It is a country with 22 official languages and diverse regional cultural and social differences. MAHESHWARI & CO. has both the physical offices and professional expertise to provide the needed guidance and support to create specific strategies for specific regions to ensure a “total India” market strategy.

Competitive Landscape and Industry Mapping

Identification and analysis of key industry players, competitors, and strategic partners.

Barriers to Entry and Risk Assessment

Evaluation of regulatory, commercial, technological, and operational barriers, with mitigation strategies tailored to the client’s business model.

Distribution and Monetisation Models

Advisory on legally viable and commercially effective distribution structures, licensing models, and revenue mechanisms.

Pricing Structures and Commercial Strategy

Guidance on pricing frameworks aligned with market realities, regulatory considerations, and competitive positioning.

Regional Segmentation Advisory

Insights into India’s regional diversity, including: language and cultural considerations, state-specific laws and regulations, regional market behaviour and compliance nuances.

Our Team

Jyotsna Chaturvedi

Senior Partner for Commercial Initiatives

Ms. Jyotsna Chturvedi is head of Corporate Practice at MAHESWARI & CO. With professional legal experience of 15+ years in corporate and commercial law, she has established a deep foundation in corporate structuring, transactions, regulatory compliance, and commercial strategy.

Over time, Jyotsna has supported founders, investors, platforms, and studios in the dynamic Indian sports and entertainment technology landscape. She draws on her extensive experience to manage risk in potential situations that reflect market realities. Her advisory approach is designed not only to ensure compliance with applicable law but also to facilitate commercial scalability, investor readiness, and sustainable competitive advantage. The sports and entertainment sector’s legal complexities increasingly intersect with contract law, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and technology licensing, areas in which she has substantive expertise.

Michael Eckstein

Head of Practice

With a 40+ year career of successful C-level IT software development positions, since 2012, Mr. Eckstein has been a visionary leader of global sports analytics and biometric performance technology. As the founder-creator of KinaTrax (the breakthrough analytics and performance technology for US baseball), he has worked with high-performance sports technology companies, professional sports teams, and elite training centers and designed performance technology architectures for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Most recently, he has reactivated his contacts in the movie-making, VR-AR, and AI virtual agent technology space, ready to bring these technologies to Bollywood and the entire Indian graphics and digital creation industry.

Ketan Joshi

Business Development/ Market Analysis/ Strategy Creation

Ketan Joshi is a senior associate at MAHESHWARI & CO. with specialised expertise in intellectual property, technology, commercial contracts, and regulatory compliance, underpinned by a foundation in corporate advisory. Ketan brings significant value through his experience in rights protection, technology licensing, and platform-related commercial documentation. His work spans drafting and negotiating agreements tailored to digital and tech-enabled business models, assisting with due diligence processes, and ensuring clients’ intangible assets are safeguarded against competitive and regulatory challenges.

Testimonials Of Clients

I Thanks a lot Mr. Ketan Joshi and Team for expediting the process and delivering us the legal opinion. We are indeed grateful. The legal opinion has helped us immensely.
I’ll refer people to you if I come across anyone seeking legal help/opinions.

Siddharth Shah

Partnerships Manager (Grid Master)

I personally joined the scheduled last hearing and was thoroughly impressed by the exceptional presentation delivered by the assigned team. I wish them continued success in their future endeavors.

Gurpreet Singh

National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited

Instituto Cervantes-Embassy of Spain has received consultation services from Maheshwari & Co and we are really happy with the outcome. This law firm is really professional and understands the needs of their client. They work was done respecting what was agreed and adapting to changes that the client requests. With them the work was done on time and a high quality standards were followed.

Alejandro Palma Allepuz

Administrator, Instituto Cervantes New Delhi

Jyotsna provided my company with outstanding legal assistance. Her work was thoughtful, timely and complete. Her advice is pragmatic and she is able to quickly understand and help resolve issues faced by foreign entities seeking to do business in India. I would highly recommend her – most particularly in connection with merger and acquisition legal services.

Debbie Rosen

Vice President/CLO at Standex International

Maheshwari& Co has been providing legal and end-to-end support for our business objectives and has been successfully representing our interests in issues pertaining to various documentations and negotiations involved in our project.

A leading Automobile company in the US

The Firm has the right balance of kindness, calmness and professionalism. I think this is the reason we have never opted for any other law firm’s services. The effective and pragmatic solutions offered have been the backbone of our business’s success.

A leading Pharmaceuticals company in the US

The Firm believes in effective partnership and collaboration. We really appreciate their approach wherein they proved to become our trusted advisor and worked as our extension in India using their expertise to deliver first-rate legal and business advice.

A leading E-commerce company in the US

The team’s tremendous efforts and vast knowledge has helped us achieve incredible momentum when we were setting up our business in India whilst ensuring we procured critical licenses and registrations within set timelines. They have the right combination of empathy and professionalism that has helped us resolve complex matters with ease.

A leading Information Technology company in the US

The dedication with which Maheshwari& Co handled our transaction relating to India’s Entry strategy was something never seen before. No overlapping, tremendous approach and communications through proper channels, had the matters flow in a smooth way and with success. Since then there has been no looking back. Easily, we can say that it is “One firm for all the legal issues”.

A leading Food & Beverage company in US

The team at Maheshwari& Co with its immense knowledge and innovative approach has handled various legal issues not only with respect to Intellectual Property but have also assisted us in setting up including obtaining licenses and registrations necessary for operations, documentations, infrastructure, and various other Pharma sector-specific support. The professional approach and sector-specific knowledge combined with understanding the needs of the clients is commendable.

A leading Healthcare company in the US

Maheshwari & Co. (‘M&Co.’) managed the deliverables upto our expectations. Every legal issue that arose was looked after by the Team MC with great thoroughness and commitment.

Team M&Co. is prompt, efficient, and professional and they are not only assisted us at every step of the way but also kept us informed regarding even the smallest of details. Advice of MC is based on practicability, which led them to come up with creative and effective solutions for our matter.

Honesty and integrity of M&Co. & its Team towards their clients are commendable. They are energetic, compassionate, and committed. It was a rewarding experience to work with such an enthusiastic team!

Largest manufacturer of ceramic/vitrified tiles in India

I wish to take this opportunity to commend the team from Maheshwari & Co. for the excellent service we have received during our recent engagements. The lawyers are exceptional, experienced, and extremely professional.

Their service was exemplary, and the entire process was well streamlined by the firm. Your team worked closely with us at every step, which made the process smooth and stress-free.

They have delivered what they promised, and I would gladly recommend their services.

A leading Gaming Certification Company in the US

FAQ

What types of clients do you support in Sports & Entertainment IT?

We advise sports-tech ventures, leagues/teams, analytics providers, content studios, platforms, investors, and enterprises expanding into India or scaling domestically.

Why does sports analytics legal advisory require specialised attention?

Sports analytics often implicates IP ownership, data rights, contracting complexity, and cross-border vendor arrangements—alongside sector-specific regulatory and reputation risks.

How do you support market entry into India for foreign sports/entertainment tech companies?

Through entity setup, shareholder/governance documentation, tax and compliance mapping, IP protection strategy, and contracting frameworks aligned to the India operating model.

Do you support M&A, licensing, and dispute resolution in this sector?

Yes - covering M&A diligence/transaction support, licensing, platform/vendor contracting, and dispute strategy including arbitration and litigation.