By Utkarsh Rathour
New Delhi [India], August 18 : Tero Entertainment Founder and Managing Director Brian L. Marcar said the company's entry into the Indian sports market is driven by a long-standing ambition to replicate its success in Thailand and build a sports-focused entertainment ecosystem in the country, with basketball identified as a key opportunity.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the launch of 3x3 Quest India 2026 on Tuesday, Marcar said he had been looking to enter the Indian market and saw sports as an ideal avenue for the company's expansion.
"It has been a dream of mine to one day come to India and do the same thing that I've done in Thailand. I built Tero Entertainment in Thailand since 1990, and we're very successful there in entertainment. And we thought a good entertainment for India would be sports," Marcar said.
He said his meeting with Tero India Managing Director and CEO Chandrakant Singh four months ago helped turn the plan into reality.
"I was very lucky to meet CK (Chandrakant Singh) four months ago, and I told him my plan, and he said, 'Okay, let's do it.' So I'm here to start," he said.
Tero Entertainment on Tuesday launched 3x3 Quest India 2026, backed by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and endorsed by FIBA. The event is scheduled to be held on September 12 and 13 at DLF Promenade - Emporio in New Delhi.
Explaining the company's decision to invest in basketball, Marcar said Tero's experience in the sport in Thailand gave it confidence that basketball could find a strong audience in India.
"Because in Thailand, I have the Champions Cup basketball, which consists of an eight-man world champion and an eight-women team world champion, and we're very successful. And so I said we should bring that sport to India," he said.
Marcar also pointed to India's large population and said there was significant scope for the country to improve its standing in international basketball.
"You are the largest population in the world; you should have a higher ranking than China. That's what we come back for," he said.
On the growing popularity of alternative sports among younger audiences, Marcar said basketball offers an opportunity to engage with India's young population through a format that combines sport and entertainment.
He also explained the appeal of 3x3 basketball, which differs from the traditional five-a-side format.
Unlike traditional five-on-five basketball, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a relentless 12-second shot clock. Games last just 10 minutes or end the moment a team hits 21 points. It's a fast-paced, action-packed, constantly moving high-energy game designed around skill and technique.
"The 3x3 is a game which is full of action, full of goals, and with timing; that means within a certain time you must score a goal," he said.
Unlike traditional five-on-five basketball, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a 12-second shot clock. Games last 10 minutes or end when a team reaches 21 points, making it a fast-paced format suited to live entertainment and younger audiences.
The 3x3 Quest India 2026 will feature teams competing in a knockout format, with the winning team earning an opportunity to compete at the FIBA 3x3 World Series in Mongolia and gain official FIBA ranking points.
3x3 Quest India 2026 marks the first step in Tero's longer-term vision for the sport in India. Beginning in Delhi, the ambition is to expand participation, create more high-level competitive opportunities and build a platform that connects Indian players and teams with the wider global 3x3 ecosystem, according to a release.
The goal is not simply to stage a successful first event but to help establish India as an important part of the future of 3x3.
3x3 Quest India 2026 will see multiple teams compete over two days, with matches run in a knockout format building to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.