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  • PlayerzPot to cross 10 crore users by March 2023, aims to become top fantasy and casual gaming platforms in next five years: Sunil Yadav

    PlayerzPot to cross 10 crore users by March 2023, aims to become top fantasy and casual gaming platforms in next five years: Sunil Yadav

    Mumbai: Co-founded by Yogesh Doiphode and Mitesh Gangar in 2015, PlayerzPot is a fantasy sports arena which blends the excitement and thrill of real-world sports with fantasy gaming. Whether it is cricket, football, kabaddi, basketball or baseball, it allows players to experience their favourite games on multiple levels, along with earning real money. PlayerzPot offers users the liberty of choosing their own league, players, and lucky pot. The company said that it offers a customer-centric approach, hassle-free payment options, best-in-town referral programmes and an unflagging spirit.

    PlayerzPot was started in 2015 from a small garage in Airoli, Mumbai, by the co-founders who shared the same passion for fantasy sports and a vision to build India’s best fantasy sports platform. Being first time entrepreneurs, the initial days trying to grow the company were accompanied by hard lessons and experiences. But taking these as learning opportunities and course correcting their strategies to innovate and adapt, PlayerzPot was revamped in 2017 and was the first to come up with concepts like ‘Refer & Earn for Lifetime’ along with the option of instant withdrawals, in India. Since then, the platform has continued to add more features. PlayerzPot recently roped in cricketers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Smriti Mandhana as its brand ambassadors.

    Indiantelevision.com caught up with PlayerzPot Media CEO Sunil Yadav. His association with PlayerzPot goes way back, right to its inception in 2015 as a consultant and then joined as a marketing director in 2019. He was then elevated as a CEO in 2021 and he continued to spearhead the company’s vision of being India’s ultimate gaming destination.

    Under his able leadership, PlayerzPot successfully introduced Skilled based Casual Gaming and a plethora of consumer loyalty programs that kept users returning to the platform in spite of no sports events in a tough year like 2020. He has also laid the framework for PlayerzPot getting into Real Money Gaming at the right time. 

    Apart from that, he is an avid traveller, and loves exploring new places. He believes he is a lifelong student, and even in his down time, he likes reading case studies and researching market growth strategies.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the market gap that was witnessed by the brand when it launched seven years back

    Sunil: PlayerzPot started in 2015 from a small garage in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, with a vision to become a one-point destination for the Indian online gaming community. Considering the invincible craze of cricket in our nation and our love for IPL, we wanted to channel that excitement for sports in every Indian by offering a gamut of fantasy games. Our primary aim was to bridge the gap between reality and acceptance of fantasy sports. That’s how PlayerzPot was born. The first version of PlayerzPot was web-based. It was launched in April 2016 and our first mobile app was launched in April 2018.

    The situation presented an opportunity to learn from on-ground glitches. We noted the challenges, revised our strategies with a user-first approach and introduced unique features such as ‘Refer & Earn’, ‘Instant Withdrawals’, and ‘private game’. These features eventually helped us to build credibility and trust. As a result, in six years, we surpassed the 10 million user base and continued to outshine user expectations with rich fantasy and casual games. 

    On USPs of the company

    Sunil: We offer a wide range of gaming action with nine fantasy sports, 15+ casual games and three card games on our platform. We are engaged in constant research and development to provide an excellent gaming experience through USPs such as refer & earn quick withdrawal, 24*7 customer support, leaderboard, free leagues, and user retention policies. We analyse user journeys, behaviours, and gameplay time and curate our offerings to individual users to increase their stickiness. As a brand, we promote responsible gaming and thus provide a complete secured registration process and payment gateways.

    On how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the company’s business 

    Sunil: Before the pandemic turned the world upside down, online gaming has been largely considered a hobby or just another mode of entertainment. Today, people are charting their entrepreneurial careers in online gaming, a sector expected to become a community of 510 million gamers by 2022-end, as per KPMG. In terms of revenue, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21 per cent over the next five years, meaning that it will reach $3.84 billion. Such encouraging statistics are based on the rising interest of Gen Z and millennial gamers. The multifarious roles in the employment generation of this sector have encouraged the Centre to take note of gaming as a great source of domestic and global investment.

    During the pandemic, there were no fantasy sports available for users. Understanding the pulse of the users, we decided to diversify ourselves by offering casual games on our platform. PlayerzPot, being an industry leader as one of the fastest-growing super gaming apps with 1 crore+ users, turned tables by launching 15+ casual games in less than two years. Our massively successful IPL 2022 campaign #CricketKaBhoot garnered a resounding reach, close to 500 million and a 300 per cent revenue jump in fantasy gaming. We grew 3X on our user base year-on-year and launched over seven casual games. We partnered with Indian cricketers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Smriti Mandhana, and the new sensation, Rashmika Mandanna, were landmark moves to boost our popularity in the evolving gaming community in the country. 

    On the business model of the company 

    Sunil: We offer three different categories of skilled games viz., fantasy games, casual games and card games, which are our key revenue generators. The model is as per industry standards and as the guidelines of the All India Gaming Federation.

    On the growth of the gaming industry

    Sunil: Technology is the life force of online gaming, and the Indian industry has always been one of the earliest adopters of advanced tech to create new demands for users. With the lockdown directing first-timers to online gaming as a new mode of entertainment, the gamers’ community have grown in leaps and bounds.

    We see a welcome change in the gender ratio of gamers, as women have started playing actively. As real-money gaming rises exponentially, proper checks and balances need to be there in the form of simplified regulations to encourage safe, responsible gaming.

    On how the platform is boosting its offerings to attract users 

    Sunil: Advertising and marketing play important roles in spreading awareness about services, new launches, offers, prizes, competitions, and other relevant information about the platform to the target group. It is very important to communicate the right message, that too through multiple marketing channels. 

    We at PlayerzPot keep a 70 per cent share of our annual profits for marketing activities and campaigns. This IPL season, we had the #CricketKaBhoot campaign live on social media channels, short-format video platforms and the OTT platform of Hotstar. This collaboration garnered a unique reach of close to 500 million, pan-India participation with a 50 per cent increase in registrations and 30 per cent of early users returning to the platform. The successful collaboration reinforced the importance of OTT platforms and short video sharing apps and thus helped to reach the masses.

    On the regulation that the gaming industry requires

    Sunil: There has been a major disconnect between the rising popularity of online gaming and the dearth of awareness and regulations for the same. This creates confusion between skilled-based gaming and gambling. 

    I believe that the increase in GST from 18 per cent to 28 per cent, would also help to have a concrete set of regulations, which will assist the entire ecosystem. It may initially be a speed-breaker by tightening the cash flow and slowing down the growth momentum in gaming initially, but it will bring online gaming under the legal framework and thus, attract global investments because of its credibility from the government.  

    On challenges in terms of tech hiring and mobile gaming segment 

    Sunil: Gaming is a developing industry in India, and its impressive growth can be attributed to better internet penetration in remote corners of the country and increasing affordability of feature-rich smartphones. With such an easy entry point, the industry is bound to grow with new career opportunities being created regularly.

    Yet, there is a considerable lack of tech-skilled talent in a market flooded with new technology every other day. Since there is some uncertainty associated with a growing industry, tech professionals tend to avoid online gaming as a career option. Therefore, the biggest challenge gaming brands are taking head-on is hiring talented tech professionals at all levels to manage technical operations and services online.

    On the role of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in business and the use of non-fungible tokens

    Sunil: Online gaming has levelled up with new technologies such as AI, ML, and Data Science, aided by tech-savvy young players. The market is very competitive, and players are diversifying models with AR and VR to excite users.

    Metaverse is going to be a litmus test for Indian online gaming brands facing the challenge of building a breath-taking virtual reality experience. Tapping on real-time emotional responses, gamers will also be rewarded with play-to-earn concepts allowing them to win virtual gaming items, trade them and earn physical money. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will improve ownership of digital and physical assets on the blockchain and thus, make the metaverse more exciting. On the other hand, AI integration will check any form of data leak, ensure a safe environment for gamers, and appeal to investment based on trust.

    As one of the leading fantasy gaming platforms, we are exploring suitable possibilities on the metaverse by creating unique selling propositions (USPs) and minimum viable product (MVP) building with some scalable tech architecture designs, market rollout strategy, and customer engagement strategy.

    On the plans of growth of users, increasing revenue, expansion and funding

    Sunil: Currently, PlayerzPot has over 10 million active users and is focusing on launching more skilled games, with other exciting offerings for RMG enthusiasts. We predict an addition of 1 crore + users by March 2023 and are set out to become one of the topmost fantasy and casual gaming platforms, five years down the line.

    Self-sustenance is vital for PlayerzPot to achieve that goal, and we plan to do that through the launch of various card games and entry into the NFT space. We also plan to incorporate metaverse aspects in our technology roadmap to create USPs in the virtual world. As far as acquisitions and investments are concerned, we look forward to investing in talented companies who share our long-term vision of becoming a major contributor to Indian online gaming.

  • Netflix to remain SVod world leader by 2027: Digital TV Research

    Netflix to remain SVod world leader by 2027: Digital TV Research

    Mumbai: Global SVod subscriptions will increase by 475 million between 2021 and 2027 to reach 1.68 billion. Six US-based platforms will account for 47 per cent of the world’s total in 2027.

    Netflix will remain the revenue winner, with $30 billion expected by 2027 – similar to Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+ combined. Global SVod revenues will reach $132 billion by 2027.

    Digital TV Research principal analyst Simon Murray said, “Our forecasts in June had Disney+ [274 million subscribers] overtaking Netflix [253 million subs] by 2027. These forecasts assumed that Disney+ Hotstar would retain the Indian Premier League cricket rights. It didn’t – hence the 67 million lower forecast for Disney+.

    “SVod revenues for Disney+ will reach $15 billion by 2027. Despite lowering our forecasts by 67 million subscribers, SVod revenues for Disney+ will be the same in 2027 as in our previous forecast. SVoD ARPUs and revenues will increase in key markets after the platform introduces the hybrid AVoD-SVoD tier and the more expensive SVod-only tier,” he added.

  • Collective Artists Network signs cricketer Rishabh Pant

    Collective Artists Network signs cricketer Rishabh Pant

    Mumbai: Cricketer Rishabh Pant has signed with the agency Collective Artists Network for exclusive representation.

    The young star from Uttarakhand made his T20 international debut in 2017 and was named the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year at the 2018 ICC Awards.

    In February 2021, Pant was named the Men’s Player of the Month in the first edition of the ICC Player of the Month Awards. He was also the fourth youngest Indian to captain an IPL team and stood in for an injured Shikhar Dhawan for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

    Collective Artists Network group CEO & founder Vijay Subramaniam said, “I’m truly excited to welcome Rishabh into the Collective Artists Network fold. His pure on-field brilliance and naturally amiable persona make him a truly unique proposition for his fans and partners. We look forward to taking the brand Rishabh forward with the infrastructure at Collective.”

    Commenting on this development, Pant said, “I’m thrilled to be working with Collective Artists Network. It feels incredible to be exclusively represented by India’s largest players in the talent ecosystem, and I’m sure this will be a very successful partnership.”

    Collective Artists Network head of sports Ritesh Nath said, “We’re so proud to announce our marquee signing in sports, Rishabh Pant. He is the poster child of a young and fearless India, which is a marketer’s delight. We are truly looking forward to what we can build together.”

    Collective Artists Network added that it delivers the best opportunities in popular culture to its clients across creative artists, brands, the investment community, and the entertainment ecosystem.

  • Rajeev Khanna is Abu Dhabi T10 COO

    Rajeev Khanna is Abu Dhabi T10 COO

    MUMBAI: The cricket league Abu Dhabi T10 announces the appointment of Rajeev Khanna as COO for the upcoming season of the tournament, wherein he will be responsible for the overall management and the competition’s operations.

    Khanna, who is a former cricket player, has been a pioneer in the field of sports management. He has converted his passion for sports into a career with tenures at leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pro Kabaddi League and International Tennis Premier League.

    Khanna has been working in the IPL since 2009. He has served as Punjab Kings, COO at Rajasthan Royals, VP at Rajasthan Royals and currently as a consultant for Rajasthan Royals. Through the years, he has been able to bring about a phenomenal change in the ways of sports management at the highest stage.  

    Khanna said, “The Abu Dhabi T10 is the most exhilarating cricket tournament in the world and therefore, I am very excited to join the bandwagon as the COO of the competition. I will definitely look to ensure that the legacy of the tournament continues to grow exponentially and becomes an even bigger attraction for the stars of the game in the future.”

    T10 Sports Management chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said, “Rajeev Khanna has achieved great heights during his career and we are very excited to welcome him to the Abu Dhabi T10 family. I am sure that our tournament will benefit hugely from his experience, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with him.”

    The Abu Dhabi T10 will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from 23 November – 4 December 2022.

  • “We are a team of highly driven and skilled individuals who eat, sleep, and breathe sports”: Fairplay Sports founder Bandana Chhetri

    “We are a team of highly driven and skilled individuals who eat, sleep, and breathe sports”: Fairplay Sports founder Bandana Chhetri

    Mumbai: Sport consultancy and agency, FairPlay Sports handles brands, business, endorsement deals and public image for athletes in various disciplines. Saina Nehwal, Karun Nair, Sunil Chhetri, Sachin Baby, and Prasidh Krishna are just a few of the athletes it represents. Additionally, it forms brand alliances with competitions like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Super League (ISL).

    When discussing the company’s plans and objectives for the year with Indiantelevision.com, Fairplay Sports founder Bandana Chhetri mentioned that the company provides athlete endorsements, digital brand campaigns and partnerships, IPL/ISL and other prominent league brand partnerships, and athlete management.

    She further explains that the company does not really set goals based on deadlines because the sports sponsorship business is so dynamic.

    “However, as an agency, we are constantly working on the development of our athletes and, at the same time, encouraging more brands to collaborate with these real-life inspirations every subsequent year,” Chhetri said.

    She added, “It’s our responsibility to ensure that every athlete we represent can explore commercial opportunities outside the field of play. We also work with various sports leagues and franchises and are always pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships between a brand and the league or sports team. Through these associations, we help the brands understand the power of sports marketing better.”

    Speaking about the company’s gameplan, Chhetri said, “It is simple.” She added, “We are a team of highly driven and skilled individuals who eat, sleep, and breathe sports. We constantly speak to various brands across the country and introduce the growing scope of investment in sports and athletes in India. The requirements of modern-day athletes are much more as compared to traditional times, and our team ensures that the athletes that we represent only need to focus on their challenges on the field; everything else we take care of.”

    Chhetri further explained that the company’s experience of working at various levels in the sports industry has given it expertise in sports marketing and partnerships, because of which some of the top brands trust its research in the field. “On the other hand, athletes trust us because we not only understand the market, but also have a deep understanding of the game they play as well. As mentioned earlier, we eat, sleep and breathe sports as a team, and we feel that the mix of experience and passion is what makes us stand out as an agency,” she mentioned.

    She further added that the agency started small with the focus resting on athletes who trust the agency and services since day one and have been a part of the FairPlay Sports family ever since. “Our dedication towards our work attracted more talented athletes, and we were ready to take the leap once we were ready as a team. From just five athletes back when we started off, today we proudly and exclusively manage more than 60 talented athletes from various sports,” she said.

    On talking about the impact of Covid, she said that it was indeed a bump since so many sports events were delayed or cancelled, not to mention the fact that marketing budgets got frozen. During that time, however, we shifted our focus to enabling digital partnerships and associations, and many of our athletes participated in philanthropic campaigns and activities. Once the virus had subsided, sports were one of the main things that brought some joy to a stressed population, and we were extremely proud to be associated with projects like ISL and IPL, which were conducted during Covid and worked towards spreading a feeling of winning against all odds.”

    She explained that a lot of research has been done on marrying an athlete with a brand. “First, we always try to understand the objectives of the brand and then design a dedicated plan as per the budget and goals. Thanks to the variety of athletes that we work with and our good relationship with various sports leagues, we are able to design an effective campaign for brands which assists them in reaching their overall marketing goals,” Chhetri added.

    In terms of deals that were recently done between sponsors and sports organisations that the agency facilitated, she names IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants teaming up with Gigabyte Aorus for the previous IPL season. Gigabyte Technology and its gaming brand AORUS, the associate sponsor of Lucknow Super Giants, launched the franchise’s metaverse. With the launch, the company aims to maximise the potential of online fan engagement experiences and to help the team and fans get closer.

    It has recently partnered with athletes from companies like Fire-boltt, Budweiser, and Boost. She added that when the company signs an athlete for representation for two years, it is a good time for both sides to understand the other. “It takes time to build up momentum with an athlete, and having a talent on board for two years [if not more] helps both parties evaluate the progress fairly,” Chhetri added at length.

  • Sun TV Q1 results: Revenue rises 47.38% to Rs 1,193.90 crore

    Sun TV Q1 results: Revenue rises 47.38% to Rs 1,193.90 crore

    Mumbai: Sun TV Network revenue increased by 47.38 per cent (including IPL) to Rs 1,193.90 crore in Q1 FY23, compared to Rs 810.10 crore in Q1 FY2022.

    The advertisement revenues for the quarter were up by 40.84 per cent for the quarter ended June 2022 at Rs 343.17 crore as against Rs 243.66 crore from the previous year’s same quarter. Ebidta increased by 54.32 per cent to Rs 763.83 crore from Rs 494.97 crore. For the same period, profit after taxes increased by 26.15 per cent to Rs. 491.68 crore, up from Rs 389.76 crore the previous year.

    At the board meeting held on Friday, the board of directors declared an interim dividend of rupees five per share (100 per cent) on a face value of rupees five per share.

    Sun TV operates satellite television channels across six languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla, and Marathi. It also airs FM radio stations across India and owns the SunRisers Hyderabad cricket franchise of the Indian Premier League and the Digital OTT Platform Sun NXT.

    Sun TV has been awarded a licence to operate a team in the city of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) by the Africa Cricket Development (Pty) as part of Cricket South Africa’s T20 league to be staged from January 2023 and annually thereafter.

  • Mayank Agarwal signs with Baseline Ventures for commercial representation

    Mayank Agarwal signs with Baseline Ventures for commercial representation

    Mumbai: Sports, events, entertainment, and licensing firm Baseline Ventures has signed Indian cricketer and T20 league Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal to represent him in all commercial aspects.

    He has scored more than 2,000 runs in the IPL in 113 games. He has also amassed more than 4,000 runs in domestic T20s.

    “Having signed with Baseline Ventures, I am incredibly happy and looking forward to seeing how this will help me in my career. Today, every athlete needs the right representation, and having the right people around me to handle the commercial aspects would be hugely beneficial,” said Agarwal.

    “We at Baseline Ventures are very pleased to represent a seasoned cricketer in Mayank Agarwal. He proved his mettle at the highest level after amassing a mountain of runs on the domestic circuit, and his record in Test cricket speaks volumes of his prowess. We want to make sure Mayank’s brand keeps growing in the right direction,” said Baseline Ventures co-founder Vishal Jaison.

    After a record-breaking domestic season in 2017-18, which included over 1,000 runs within a single month and other consistent performances for both Karnataka and India A across formats, he got his maiden call up to the Indian Team midway through the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Series in Australia, where his gritty knock of 76 on Test Match debut in Melbourne was the second highest score by an Indian opener making his test debut overseas.

  • ICC FTP draft creates two and a half month window for the IPL

    ICC FTP draft creates two and a half month window for the IPL

    Mumbai: In a move that signifies the importance of Twenty20 league cricket, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) near-final draught Future Tours Programme (FTP) has created a two-and-a-half-month window for the Indian Premier League (IPL) every year. There are also home-season windows for the Hundred and the Big Bash League (BBL) in England and Australia’s schedules.

    A report in ESPNcricinfo said that the near-final draft of the ICC’s latest FTP for men’s cricket lays out the international cricket due to be played by the 12 full members between May 2023 and April 2027. It is built primarily on two cycles of the World Test Championship (WTC), a host of ICC events, and plenty of bilateral white-ball cricket.

    Over the next four years, there are very few international cricket matches scheduled from the latter week of March to the first week of June. The IPL is played during that time.

    The Twenty20 Leagues also have a timeframe for England and Australia. However, the report said that, in contrast to the IPL, the Hundred and windows don’t bring international cricket to a halt. England and Australia, who have previously played both tournaments along with international games, must make room in their schedules for them.

    For instance, a three-week window between July and August is free of any international cricket in every English summer in this draft FTP. The ECB has advocated for more time for England’s marquee white-ball players during scheduling discussions for this FTP, so it stands to reason that they will have more time in their marquee white-ball competition. Due to international commitments, some of England’s top players, including Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Joe Root, only participated in two games during the Hundred’s inaugural season.

    Other members have also made space for their T20 leagues, said the report. For example, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL)’s August-September window is all but set, though there’s only ever been a handful of international cricket played in the Caribbean in those months. Bangladesh has kept January free for the BPL in each of the last four years of FTP, said the report.

    Meanwhile, another report by ESPNcricinfo.com said that as per the near-final draft FTP, India is scheduled to play 38 tests, four fewer than England (42) and three fewer than Australia (41). Only two other countries have more than 30 tests on their calendar: Bangladesh (34) and New Zealand (32). The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is a test match series between India and Australia, has five tests. This is the first time since 1992 that this has happened. India will travel to Australia for five tests in December and January 2024-25, and the return series will take place in India in early 2027. Both series are part of the next two World Test Championship cycles in 2023–25 and 2025–27, respectively.

    India is also scheduled to play two five-test series against England—at home in early 2024 and away in 2025. The home series will be part of the 2023–25 World Test Championship cycle, while the five tests in England are part of the 2025–27 WTC cycle.

    Apart from the series against Australia and England, India has played more than two tests in a bilateral contest only once: a three-test series at home against New Zealand in October-November 2024. The rest of India’s WTC series is limited to two tests. The report said England and Australia, on the other hand, are scheduled to play several three-test series over the next four years.

    The final draft is expected to be presented at the ICC’s Annual General Meeting on 25 and 26 July 2022, in Birmingham.

  • Customer centricity is our single biggest USP, says Fantasy Akhada’s founder SK Jha

    Customer centricity is our single biggest USP, says Fantasy Akhada’s founder SK Jha

    Mumbai: In the fast growing world of gaming there are several players in Fantasy Sport. Fantasy platform Fantasy Akhada, while being a late entrant, says that it has managed excellent growth. Backed by popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, the company says that it is an initiative of hard core sports lovers who understand the fan and fantasy sports. Fantasy Akhada provides a platform, covering fantasy cricket, fantasy kabaddi, fantasy basketball and fantasy football, where users can come, play, and win contests.

    The brand claims to have close to 2.5 million users currently. The platform has held 40 lakh contests and claims to have disbursed Rs 200 crore in cash winnings. Indiantelevision.com caught up with Fantasy Akhada founder Sumit Kumar Jha to find out more on the company’s plans.

    Jha is an alumnus of leading universities like XLRI Jamshedpur and NIT Jamshedpur. Being a business enthusiast who strives for growth, he has a demonstrated history of experience in Product Management, Customer Analytics, Customer Life-Cycle Management, Loyalty Program Management, Mobile Internet, and P&L Management. Sumit Kumar Jha has profound domain knowledge and hands-on experience of over 8 years across different industries including Automobile, Telecom, Fashion & Retail industries and furthermore, earned 7 months of international project work experience.

    He began his career with Tata Motors and after completing his MBA, joined the coveted Aditya Birla Group Leadership Program. He was deputed at Idea Cellular Limited (Now Vodafone Idea Limited) where he worked for 5 years prior to beginning his own venture-Fantasy Akhada. The rich experience that he gained in his professional journey has moulded a solid foundation of his entrepreneurial vision.

    Edited excerpts:

    On the traction that fantasy sports are getting vis-a-vis other areas of gaming and esports.

    The love for cricket and the development of other sports, on the back of domestic leagues, has increased the level of interest in sports for all Indians. Fantasy sports share a very symbiotic relationship with live sports and thus the excitement of FS coupled with the love for sports is driving major growth in the Fantasy Sports market in India.

    However, we believe that the growth of the overall gaming ecosystem will drive individual growths like fantasy sports, e-sports, etc. There must be an overall acceptance of the gaming community in Indian households; to ensure the next level of growth for this sunrise sector.

    On the challenges that Fantasy Akhada faced as a late entrant

    We believe that if we let the timing of entry into the industry bother us, Fantasy Akhada would not have been able to become one of the top five fantasy sports apps in the country. All of us, founders, were ardent fantasy sports users before launching Fantasy Akhada. We realised that there is a clear need for a platform that believed in the highest level of customer and sports centricity.

    While we believed in our vision and the need for such a product, it took a lot of marketing push as well as the highest level of customer service to stand out amongst the clutter of the other 180 platforms. Post the IPL in 2022, on the back of a viral marketing campaign feat. Ali Fazal and Harsha Bhogle, we can confidently say that we have been able to make a significant mark in the space.

    On the sports that the company is actively involved in

    We currently provide customers with the opportunity to play four sports. The number was three until a week back; we added fantasy basketball in the first week of July. So as of today, Fantasy Akhada offers fantasy cricket, fantasy football, fantasy kabaddi and fantasy basketball.

    On whether cricket dominates activity on the platform.

    Cricket, no doubt, is by far the most loved sport on all Fantasy Sports platforms in the country. However, owing to our sports centricity, we have always done our 100 per cent towards each sport; and that shows in the numbers as well. Football, for example, contributes almost 15-20 per cent of our overall revenue and this has been made possible by hosting games, even in major leagues, that are exclusively available on Fantasy Akhada.

    Kabaddi, also, was an excellent launch for us with the Pro Kabaddi League in December 2021. We are hoping to get some good traction on basketball as well, a sport that has been launched in response to rising customer demand.

    On Fantasy Akhada’s USP is in a competitive arena where the entry barrier is very low

    As mentioned earlier, our single biggest USP is customer-centricity. In the context of fantasy sports, it means doing the basic tasks well like instant withdrawal, 24*7 customer service to customer delight activities like international trips, regular leader boards with amazing prizes, etc.

    Apart from this, we focus on our commitment to increasing sports engagement and ensure that all our marketing activities are in line with sports development.

    On the impact of Covid on fantasy sports

    Barring the first month of the worldwide lockdown, when the sport was either not happening or restricted to smaller leagues in countries like Belarus, etc. Covid has not had a very negative impact on our business.

    Personally, for us at Fantasy Akhada, it was the time that we had just started, and it gave us the opportunity and time to work on a lot of things which we hadn’t envisaged before the launch. To summarise, we came out stronger and provided a better experience post with the initial Covid blip.

    On the direction that regulation should take

    We believe that more clarity on regulation will help the Industry grow multifold. The lack of clarity on the regulations hurts the business. We, along with other FS platforms, are working with the central government to build a well-structured framework that will help all platforms in the country.

    On the role that Harsha Bhogle plays

    Harsha Bhogle joined the Fantasy Akhada team in June 2020 as a brand ambassador and investor. Since then he has been, more than his role, a great mentor for the entire organisation. We have been lucky to have his guidance in various decisions and also his support in getting a lot of things done, which would have otherwise been very challenging for us.

    On the activity seen on the platform during the recently concluded IPL

    IPL is the highlight event for all FS platforms in India; primarily due to the love for cricket that the customers have and also the short duration of matches – which helps them rotate money quickly. Apart from the growth in value of transactions, it is one of the best times for user acquisition, not only for FS platforms but for brands across industries.

    In terms of Fantasy Akhada, we had the biggest IPL, on the back of our first IPL campaign that went live on the Star Sports Network. The virality of the campaign, backed by our previously highlighted USPs, helped us catapult the growth of users to the next level. We had set out on a target of 100 per cent increase in our numbers over the two months of IPL, and we were able to comfortably achieve the same. Another great success has been that these users have stayed back with the platform post the IPL, increasing the overall base of our transactions.

    On expansion plans abroad

    Currently, we are present only in India – and allow only residents of India to play on our app. We have plans to spread our wings to other nations and currently, we are evaluating the right countries that fit our business and plans.

  • There is sound commercial viability basis for the money spent on the IPL media rights: CA Atul Thakkar

    There is sound commercial viability basis for the money spent on the IPL media rights: CA Atul Thakkar

    Mumbai: India is on the cusp of a revolution in the sports business. A recently released report compiled by Anand Rathi Advisors (ARAL) confirms what sports pundits have been claiming for long – that India’s time as a sporting superpower has come.

    According to ARAL, the sports industry is estimated to reach $100 billion by 2027; up 4x from $27 billion in 2020.

    The report hypothesizes that the industry will be driven by India’s gigantic youth population (400 million people, larger than the population of the US) and rapidly improving economic conditions. Historically what has been seen is that as basic needs are met, the populace leans towards consumption that supports a healthier lifestyle and entertainment.

    “We believe that the entire sports media market will grow at an unprecedented rate over the next few years,” said CA Atul Thakkar.

    Thakkar joined ARAL in 2013. He joined the financial services firm in 2007 and sharpened his leadership skills at the organisation for over 15 years. Prior to this, he began his career with Kagrana & Associates Chartered Accountants.

    In conversation with Indiantelevision.com, Anand Rathi Advisors director – investment banking CA Atul Thakkar shared his views on the sports media market.

    Excerpts:

    On the factors that will propel the sport media market in India

    Viewership and engagement will drive the sports media market. The unique ability of sports to draw eyeballs from a wide set of captive audience over an extended period of time is what compels brands/advertisers to spend money on sports. With multiple sports events gaining traction with the youth (cricket, kabaddi, F1, UFC etc.), unveiling of new sporting leagues and access to sports over multiple platforms – overall viewership of sport will grow. We believe that the entire sports media market will grow at an unprecedented rate over the next few years.

    On the IPL rights being split between two broadcasters

    Given the unique position that digital has come to occupy in today’s times, from BCCI’s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) perspective it makes commercial sense to split the rights between television and digital. It is a function of changing consumption patterns that has driven this decision. Media consumption is shifting towards digital with consumers spending +50 per cent time on digital as compared to television and this will increase manifold over time. We would not be surprised if the next media rights auction sees digital rights base prices exceed that of television.

    On whether Disney Star and Viacom18 will make money

    There is a sound commercial viability basis for the money spent on the rights. India is a large market, we have 400 million people in the age group of 15-45, which is larger than the population of the US, presenting an opportunity to grow sports viewership exponentially provided it is packaged as a mix of entertainment and sporting prowess – which the IPL is. Viewership has further potential to grow as the IPL expands into new geographies globally. We expect that the first two years will remain the investment period dedicated towards increasing the viewer base while the returns start coming in post that.

    On the IPL ratings falling on TV

    Covid-19 was a setback for IPL, in which the matches were postponed, the venues were changed. This created a break in the excitement of the game. However, the latest IPL season with two new teams was a success. The reason for falling television viewership is that people are shifting to OTT platforms and prefer to watch the game online. IPL is a valuable property and the only major sporting event in the country, we expect viewership to continue to rise with a change in the OTT and television mix.

    On the rights value growth potential for other cricket properties like ICC

    Cricket’s base in India and the South Asia region in general, combined with BCCI’s monetary heft, made IPL a massive success. The T20 format of the IPL is short, packed with action and easy to consume. We do not see any other cricket property having the wherewithal or the market to create a league of similar scale and fan following as the IPL.

    On whether other sports are gaining traction in terms of viewership and rights value

    Cricket has clearly dominated India in terms of viewership i.e. nine million, however, other sports leagues like PKL are growing, the viewer share of PKL has grown from 31 per cent to 39 per cent in five years. ISL again, has gained global recognition and has become the fifth largest football league in terms of viewership. The properties other than IPL, though currently smaller, have the potential to grow with the right investments.

    Also Read:Indian sports media market to touch $13.4 bn by 2027: Report

    On the role that digital is playing in disrupting and growing rights value

    India will have 900 million internet users in the next five years, underscoring the potential of digital rights. While TV was the main source of entertainment in Indian middle-class homes, the past few years have seen a rapid pivot toward online streaming due to affordable internet and smart devices.

    The pandemic accelerated the digital media growth in India. For instance, the premium paid for the media rights in the IPL, 1.7x for digital and 1.3x for television, shows the potential that corporates see in digital rights and their willingness to pay for it.

    On the progress that local leagues like ISL, PKL are making

    ISL and PKL have been the underdogs as compared to the IPL as they do not come with the money power that IPL has. Sports is entertainment, which PKL has managed to deliver with its format while ISL still has to improve its viewer engagement. ISL for one has always been popular with a consistent viewership from a core base. Investments in making the games more engaging – better camera angles capturing the action, for instance, will catapult ISL substantially.

    Both leagues have started small and have seen viewership traction with numbers that would be considered a success in most developed nations. The increase in viewership will see sponsorship pick up for these two leagues. They do have a very long way to go as compared to IPL, but without doubt they have been successful.

    On the potential impact of inflation in the sports media rights market in the coming five years

    Inflation is a transitory economic phenomenon. We do not see it having a significant impact over the next five years.

    On advertising and subscription being important

    Advertising is the larger chunk of revenues, however the rates itself are determined based on viewership and subscriber base. Subscription revenue provides a base to build on in periods where there aren’t any major events, shows or movies.

    On whether the startup funding slowdown will impact the ad market for sports

    Start-ups account for a minor portion of Sports Sector advertising. The start-ups that do spend the big bucks – like Dream11, Byju’s and Unacademy – are the leaders in their space and are well funded. A brand aims to reach the largest set of viewers, sports invariably provide this opportunity – with millions of people tuning in for 90 uninterrupted minutes.

    In the current context, we expect brands to rationalise spends and skew it towards mega events that draw eyeballs – such as sports. There will continue to be multiple bids for sponsorship and we do not think the slowdown in the funding will have any significant impact on the ad market for sports.

    On trends being seen in gaming, e-sports in terms of investments and fan following.

    The gaming and esports sector is very differentiated. Each platform has a different strategy which doesn’t lend itself to straight analysis. You will see behemoths in each segment, but the differentiated experience in each platform will allow for them to co-exist and thrive.

    On the way forward for India to follow other sports more

    Our thoughts on the way to expand sports is to create several commercial leagues – in the US for instance, a country with a population a third of India’s – there are over a 100 functioning leagues. Competitive leagues will make sports a viable career option, ensuring wider participation.

    For instance, the IPL has given a platform for talented sportsmen, who although have not made it to the national team, have found a way to make a meaningful career in the sport. Presence of leagues will have a trickle down effect with children wanting and parents willing to allow their wards to play sport competitively, creating demand for related infrastructure, products and services, which enterprising individuals will fill.

    The ultimate aim as a society should be to make every individual play sport competitively, there are a host of character traits and health benefits that sports bring that can have significant societal impact which will help the nation in the long term.