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Fantasy sports platforms drive IPL sponsorship deals due to COVID-19

Over the last few years, online Fantasy Sports have been a hit for fans who love being connected to their favourite sport. The sports across the country has come to a halt due to the coronavirus crisis, the Indian Fantasy Sports platforms witnessed participation from over 5 million Indian sports fans between April and June.

COVID-19 has caused disruptions worldwide, be it physical or in the business world, with IPL franchises sponsor deals drying up due to losses. Fantasy Sports platforms have been booming and are grabbing opportunities to ramp up their visibility during this pandemic. Over 1,000 sports matches were hosted across Indian fantasy sports platforms, which saw engagement of 5+ million fans this lockdown and is expected to double with live sports coming back to action. 

Saurabh Jha, Founder of Playing 11 said he is close to finalising a deal with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The deal with KKR will also rope in their Caribbean Premier League, Trinbago Knight Rider (TKR). Playing 11 has signed Yuzvendra Chahal as the brand ambassador and is closing in on another deal with Harbhajan Singh. With the Indian Premier League to be held in UAE from 19 September to 10 November, Jha is exploring opportunities to boost his brand’s popularity.

According to sources, Mobile Premier League (MPL) is in talks with four IPL teams, but there has been no comments regarding any deal yet. Another big player, My11Circle, the fantasy cricket league platform plans on allotting a marketing budget during the IPL tournament. They may also explore into football rights across the globe this year. My11Circle has Sourav Ganguly, Australian Cricketer, Shane Watson and Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan as their brand ambassadors. 

Dream11, the first gaming icon in the country, last year signed a four-year deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the official partner for IPL. They are also one of the top buyers of airtime of IPL broadcast. In the same period, The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) platforms introduced new sports like handball, baseball, and rugby, and hosted more than 1,000 matches from around the world. Fantasy firms have a great opportunity to boost back into business as digital fan engagement has been increasing. Stay tuned for more updates on Fantasy Sports, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com

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