Colombo: Cycle Pure Agarbathi, India’s largest and the only certified carbon neutral incense brand, strengthened its longstanding support to cricket by associating with the ongoing My11Circle Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020. The brand has been roped in as an official umpire sponsor and will be visible on-ground through multiple properties like Third umpire decision on giant screen, umpire apparel, perimeter boards, boundary ropes, giant screen and sight screen. The leading home worship brand is also the official partner for the Fair Play Award in the annual cricket extravaganza to enhance the sportsmen spirit among the players.
Speaking about the association, Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathies, said, “It is an honour for Cycle to associate with My11Circle Lanka Premier League. This initiative will make our association stronger and reinforce our commitment to cricket and in the Sri Lankan market. Cricket has been a key element in our brand journey right from our inception and it has worked brilliantly for our brand. It is a sport that binds us all together and we would like to be associated with all such true emotions and forms of reverence. Be it our products or associations we have always tried to foster a sense of respect, and adulation and this association is a logical manifestation of this vision.”
Anil Mohan, CEO of IPG, the promoters of LPL, said, “We are delighted with the response for LPL from the brands across sectors. Brands are actively choosing LPL as the marketing vehicle to deliver their business ambitions in a tough 2020. All brands that have come in so far have chosen to up their investments significantly.
Sangeet Shirodkar, Director of LPL said, “The pandemic has not been easy on anyone and with brands coming all out and supporting us means how much they have believed in this league. These brands will get to leverage the power of multiple screens, multiple languages and broaden their reach and engagement like never before. My11Cricle Lanka Premier League continues to be an unmissable platform to build brands.”
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) VP Ravin Wickramaratne said, “We welcome Cycle on board as the official Umpire Partner and the associates of Fair Play Award for My11Circle Lanka Premier League 2020. Their willingness to support us in this league is a proof of the potential of the brand LPL.”
Over the years, Cycle Pure Agarbathi has become one of the leading companies to associate with sports across the world. Their continuous participation in sporting activities has resulted in exciting cricket properties like Red Alert, Third Umpire branding and Milestone branding. Brand’s dedicated and continuous focus towards nurturing sporting talent has resulted in them being actively involved in the development of various sports. They are also owners of Mysuru Warriors, a T20 team in a state league franchise of a national repute, offering aspiring sporting enthusiasts a platform to hone their skills as well as to witness and learn from established professionals.
NEW DELHI: Ten years ago, if someone told you that you could create your own virtual sports team and win money, you would have laughed off the idea. However, a handful of techies believed in the possibility. They have not only turned it into a business but have developed an entire new category called online fantasy sports (OFS). What seemed a laughable proposition a decade ago is now a passion for many consumers.
The OFS category seems to be having a great run in India; there were just 10 players in 2016 today that have ballooned to 150. And there’s optimism all around especially in terms of advertising, funding, hiring, consumer sampling, and what not.
There is no doubt that the front end of this revolution is Dream11’s founder Harsh Jain who saw the huge possibilities and opportunities in the western world and decided to implement the same in India. Once the brand tasted success several other players also emerged in the market such as MPL, My11Circle, MyTeam11, BalleBaazi, FanFight, Cricplay, Gamezy, Howzat and others.
A Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS)/KPMG report released earlier this year revealed that the OFS sector has been registering rapid growth for the past four years. The user base increased from just 2 million in 2016 to 90 million in 2019. Operator revenue almost trebled from Rs 924 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 2,470 crore in 2019-2020. The report also estimated that the industry clocked contest entry amounts (CEA) of over Rs 6,000 crore in FY19, which more than doubled to about Rs 16,500 crore in FY20.
Even as the lockdown led to mainstream live sports dying, the OFS apps started tracking smaller leagues all over the world, and fans too followed. But not with the same frenzy or at the same scale as cricket. Now, with the return of the IPL, the action is becoming red hot. Some of the OFS platforms have opted for team and tournament level sponsorships while many others have simply opted for spot buys during the matches.
The IPL attraction
Most of the big guns have been training their sights on consumers, spraying them with ads promising to give them an opportunity to win big money in the hope that they will engage more or sign up to try their luck.
For instance, the baton holder of the category, Dream11 took the title sponsorship of IPL for a whopping Rs 222 crore. A 2019 report by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) and KPMG suggests that Dream11 dominates 90 per cent of the domestic fantasy sports market. It is also associated with several teams and has already released its IPL campaign.
The Virat Kohli-endorsed MPL, another big player that offers fantasy cricket for its audiences has associated with the Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore as a sponsor. The online gaming brand is saluting the spirit of Covid2019 warriors and telling their stories to people.
Mobile Premier League senior VP – growth and marketing Abhishek Madhavan defines IPL as the biggest television property in India. “The way fantasy sports companies are heavily involved in the IPL this year will surely help grow the market. We want to grow our brand even more among the masses and give MPL a mass appeal and recognition. It is also a great way for us to take our unique features and offers to existing as well as new users.”
Delhi-based e-sports platform BalleBaazi has also got into the game with #DumHaiTohYahanKhel and its BalleBaazi Fantasy Festival that offers users a chance to get heavy discounts on its reward stores and play more leagues.
MyTeam11 has unleashed a campaign ‘India Ki Apni Fantasy App’ for the IPL season to promote the message of ‘Indian Brand for Indian People.’ It consists of a series of videos wherein cricket experts can be seen recommending and creating their own teams in the MyTeam11 app. And it also features MyTeam11’s brand ambassador Virender Sehwag along with other cricket experts like Jatin Sapru, Sanjana Ganeshan, Mayanti Langer, Suhail Chandhok.
My11Circle promoter Games24x7, which is endorsed by Sourav Ganguly, is going the whole hog on promotion. The company’s director – brand & marketing strategy Avik Das Kanungo explains that cricket remains the highest participated sports format in fantasy space in India. Thus, IPL comes out as the strongest event simply because of the viewership and interest it generates over 60 days.
He adds: “My11Circle has bought spots during matches both on Star Sports on television as well as on Hotstar. We plan to effectively utilise these inventories to put across the right communication to the cricket-loving the audience that helps us establish our brand proposition of 'Play With Champions'. In that regard, we have shot multiple interesting commercials to bring alive the fun and thrill of our core proposition, and we hope it will resonate with all fantasy lovers across India.”
Why Advertise
Playerzpot, an OFS platform established in 2015 avers that an IPL partnership’s effectiveness is not measured over a single season, rather the association is computed in terms of the long term impact and recall it has on viewers and users. “Each fantasy brand is trying to lure new players, bring back the old ones, and retain both in the longer run. A marquee tournament like IPL brings that possibility of moving a notch higher for the whole year. For us, our work the calendar starts with IPL,” says Playerzpot co-founder Mitesh Gangar.
Fantasy Akhada founder Amit Purohit echoes this saying that the platforms particularly use cricket properties to build brand awareness and to get top of the mind recall with fantasy sports players. RoI is measured by the improvement in user acquisition and engagement per user before, during, and after the IPL.
He explains that cricket in India is a religion and most sports fans believe they know the game well. “If there is a seamless way to leverage this knowledge of cricket and skill of selecting a team to beat your friends or make money, most fans would latch on to this opportunity.”
Estimates are that the only 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the fantasy app players are paying to be on them. The platforms would like that paid subscriber base to increase; hence the marketing blitzkrieg around a high reach property like the IPL even though it is super expensive.
The OFS sector is having a beneficial rub off: the FIFS-KPMG report says that over 55 per cent of fantasy sports players said that they ended up consuming more real-life sports on the telly. That can be called a great symbiotic relationship.
NEW DELHI: My11Circle, the fantasy sports platform of leading online gaming company Games24x7 has partnered with popular Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan. The champion cricketer will be making his fantasy teams for My11Circle's flagship "Beat The Expert" contest. The prolific leg-spinner joins former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and legendary Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson, on the platform.
Taking the fantasy gameplay experience to the next level, in 2019 My11Circle introduced the "Beat the Expert" contest — the only fantasy sports contest that allows a player to make a team and play directly with legendary cricketers. Riding upon this product innovation, My11Circle has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of India's top fantasy sports platforms in just one year since its inception in 2019. Fantasy players from all over India have enjoyed testing their skills against Saurav Ganguly and Shane Watson.
During the three-match England- Ireland ODI series starting July 30, My11Circle's latest Expert Rashid Khan will be making his team for every match. Players from all over India can compete with his team for more fun and for winning higher rewards on the fantasy platform.
Speaking on the partnership, cricket sensation Rashid Khan said, "I am excited to partner with My11Circle and make my fantasy team on the platform to play with cricket fans. It is a truly innovative, first-of-its-kind fantasy sports platform that allows fans to play directly with cricketers, and I am looking forward to this experience."
My11Circle VP Saroj Panigrahi said, "My11Circle is already a popular destination for fantasy cricket in India, commonly referred to as the platform where you 'Play With Champions'. We are delighted to associate with champion cricketer Rashid Khan for our "Beat The Expert" contest. India's sports enthusiasts have shown immense love for the past contests as they tested their skills against legendary cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Shane Watson's fantasy teams. We hope new players visit www.my11circle.com and discover the awesome game playing experience."
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MUMBAI: With an objective to give every cricket fan the best experience of fantasy cricket in India, My11Circle, one of India’s best fantasy cricket platforms, recently brought ex-cricketer and former Indian team Captain Sourav Ganguly onboard as itsbrand ambassador.Proving to be a valuable addition to the My11Circle fraternity, the renowned cricket player is helping Play Games scale up significantly. Sourav Ganguly will also announce and felicitate the winners of the World Cup fantasy league challenge ‘Beat the Expert’ along with having a meet-and-greet session with the top 50winners.
A product of Play Games24x7 Pvt. Ltd., a pioneer and leading player in the Indian online and mobile gaming space, My11Circle gives cricket fans the platform to put their knowledge and skills to test. The players form their own teams and earn points as per the collective performanceof the team players, with those having the maximum points winning the cash rewards. Adding to the thrill, registered players can also play with Sourav Ganguly, fondly called ‘Dada’, at a competitive level on My11Circle and win 5 times more cash rewards, amidst the limitless possibilities of the digital world. For instance, in the recentWorld Cup fantasy league challenge, the league winner of the ‘Beat the Expert’ contest Tufan Ghosh from Birbhum, West Bengal, took the mega prize money of INR 1 crore home, whereas the first runner-up Maidul Ali secured INR 25 lakhs. My11Circle has managed to get over 4 million installs post launch of the platform earlier this year with over 2 million installs during the world cup alone. Over 4 million teams competed with Sourav Ganguly’s team during the world cup as part of the special league “Beat The Expert”.
At the winner felicitation press event, Sourav Ganguly said, “Being a part of My11Circle has been an exciting journey so far. The levels of engagement brought about in this game have made me feel very involved, and I believe that the rest of the players on the platform enjoy the game just as thoroughly. I had a great time participating in the contest and I would like to heartily congratulate all the winners of this fantasy tournament.”
Acknowledging the success, Saroj Panigrahi, Vice-President & Avik Das Kanungo, Brand Head from My11Circle remarked, “Taking fantasy cricket to the next level we are the only platform where one can play with the champions of the great game in real time.It is really heartening to see how My11Circle has had a great run in this World Cup season. Major credits to this scale-up go to Mr. Sourav Ganguly, who took Indian cricket to new heights during his prime, and is helping us with the same in the digital world now. My11Circle is all about cricketing knowledge, strategizing skills, and most importantly—passion. We are thrilled to have Souravas a part of the My11Circle family, and we hope to continue engaging our users with loads of action and fun in this limitless world of online fantasy games.”
Since its inception in 2009, Play Games24x7 has been at the forefront of online gaming in India and has succeeded in being India’s highest-grossing mobile gaming business with its six games. The company hasalready seen key investments such as that from Tiger Global Management, a leading US-based technology-focused hedge fund, in the past. But launching ‘Fantasy Cricket’ on My11Circle this year and bringing Sourav Ganguly onboard has enabled the company to witness a steady scale-up. My11Circle received tremendous traction during the World Cup season with over 2 million registrations and downloads within a span of 45 days. Moreover, there has been no decline in the platform’s popularity post the World Cup season. Armed with such positive developments, Play Games24x7 is set to shape the realm of online fantasy games in India while providing a personalized gameplay experience to all.
MUMBAI: Ahead of the cricket world cup and IPL season, Play Games24x7 has unveiled its new fantasy sports platform, My11Circle, offering a completely new way of experiencing fantasy cricket.
The platform offers a simple and fun way to experience fantasy sports. Fans can pick and select players from both sides in a match and create a fantasy team of their own. Basis the performance of their selected 11 cricketers, a team owner can win exciting cash prizes. This doubles the fans' engagement and excitement for any cricket match now that every fan can create one’s own fantasy team.
Talking about the marketing strategy behind the game, Play Games24X7 co-founder and CEO Bhavin Pandya shared with Indiantelevisio.com that with cricket season around the corner, it is planning to promote the game heavily. He revealed that the game will be available in an app that will also allow the users to access its previous game, The Rummy Circle. “RummyCircle has a massive user base with more than 200k monthly active players, for these players My11Circle will already be a part of their existing app, so our fantasy game gets a massive headstart because of Rummy,” he said.
He further added, “For new users, we plan to leverage all digital platforms and also ATL mediums like TV, radio, and print.”
However, he is not looking towards brand associations to monetise the platform. He said, “We generate huge traffic on our apps and can monetise that by driving ads revenue by showing ads from other brands, but we believe that it would act as a distraction to the players. Our company believes in providing awesome game playing experience to its customers and we would never do anything which may hamper that.”
Talking about the USP of the game, Bhavin Pandya noted, “Our app boasts the fastest score updates. If you look at the competition, the match score updates on other platforms lag by a few minutes, for which a user needs to switch between multiple apps to view scores and to view the fantasy game standings. We have tried to make our score updates almost real-time, which will ensure the user gets everything on one app.”
