Virat Kohli retains first position among India’s most valuable celebrities: Duff & Phelps

Virat Kohli retains the top position for the 5th consecutive year with a brand value of $185.7 million (mn), according to the Celebrity Brand Valuation Study by Duff & Phelps.

Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business, announced the release of the seventh edition of its Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2021 titled, “Digital Acceleration 2.0.” The study provides a ranking of India’s most powerful celebrity brands based on brand values derived from their brand endorsement portfolios and relative social media presence.

It recognizes the impact of the second year of the pandemic on the overall celebrity endorsement space and the evolving Indian media and entertainment industry. Virat Kohli led the list while fellow cricketers MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma came in at fifth, eleventh, and thirteen positions.

The overall brand value of the top 20 celebrities in 2021 is estimated at $1.2 billion (bn), an increase of about 12.9% from last year.

Virat Kohli retains the top position for the fifth consecutive year with a brand value of $185.7 million (mn), albeit a significant drop from last year. Ranveer Singh secures the second position this year with a brand value of $158.3 mn, while Akshay Kumar lands the third position with a brand value of $139.6 mn.

Alia Bhatt ranks No. 4 with a brand value of $68.1 mn and becomes the most valued female celebrity in 2021, while MS Dhoni enters the top-five club this year with a brand value of $61.2 mn.

Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business, commented: “While prominent Bollywood celebrities continue to feature in our list of top 20 celebrity brands, this year we saw some notable changes. Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and MS Dhoni witnessed a stellar jump in their brand values and they seem to have hit the right chords with the audience in 2021. We also saw more sportspersons rising in the top celebrity rankings, including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and PV Sindhu. This significant jump was because of the lesser competition from Bollywood celebrities since there were fewer theatrical releases in 2021.”

Also Read: Experts divided on Brand Kohli – What’s in store?

Varun Gupta, Head of Asia Pacific, Valuation Advisory Services, Duff & Phelps, A Kroll Business, said, “Businesses and brands have heavily leveraged social media and other online platforms for brand endorsements this year, too, with below-par weightage to traditional platforms. 2021 also saw the emergence and growth of several startups in the fintech and direct-to-consumer (D2C) business segments that significantly contributed to the overall number of brand endorsements undertaken by the top 20 celebrities. As traditional, as well as upcoming industries, adopted the digital route to continue engaging with their consumers, we observed greater traction in fintech, social media and OTT platforms, and D2C platforms from a celebrity endorsement standpoint.”

View the report below: