Due to the postponement of major sporting events, the first quarter of FY21 was a frustrating period for online fantasy sports players. Unlike last year, despite the suspension of the 14th Indian Premier League (IPL), the return of live sports this year has kept the fantasy sports platform optimistic, and the event has brought about 30-40% of the revenue of the fantasy sports platform.

“Although the sudden IPL interruption caused the number of users to drop in May, we must remember that cricket is uninterrupted. In June, with the New Zealand England Tour, the World Trial Finals, the Pakistan Premier League, the Indian Women’s England Tour, and more events worldwide, international cricket has restarted. Therefore, Indian fans will continue to interact with the OFS platform as long as the cricket is still there,” MyTeam11 co-founder and CEO Vinit Godara told Moneycontrol.

This year, despite the postponement of the IPL, many international events have come to light in all sports categories. It’s not just cricket that keeps these platforms optimistic.

Beyond Cricket
The monthly active users (MAU) of the fantasy sports platform PlayerzPot has increased by 2.1 times, and the gameplay during the entire IPL event has increased by 81%. This growth can be maintained even during the IPL break, thanks to the attributes of cricket and football.

PlayerzPot CEO Sunil Yadav said: “We have seen good turnouts in the European Cup and PSL (Pakistan Premier League), which helps Retain (users) with us. “The platform currently has more than 2 million monthly active users. Players in the fantasy sports field say that although cricket accounts for about 90% of the fantasy sports market, the adoption rate of other sports is increasing.

Even on TV, the European Cup has also received great attention from Indian audiences. According to data shared by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), a television audience measurement service, the number of television viewers at the 2020 European Cup reached 25 million in the first 20 games between June 12 and 18. Compared with the 2016 league, the total viewing time of the 2020 European Cup has increased by 173%. Blitzpools changed its name before IPL 14, which started on April 9 but was suspended on April 9. After the suspension of IPL 14, football users are very attractive. Founder Vickram Assomull pointed out that football users on the platform have increased by 300%, which is why football has been the focus of the platform after the suspension of IPL 14. He said that although it was difficult last year, the situation is much better this year due to the return of live sports events.

2021 faring better for fantasy sports
“This month’s trip to India in Sri Lanka will be a boost for fantasy gamers because their favorite IPL players will play in blue. Then, the trip to India will start with five games from the August to the September Test series. “Keep dream players busy. In addition, the Premier League and other European football leagues such as La Liga and Serie A will start in August and are expected to lead to increased user participation,” said Roland Landers, CEO of the All India Game Federation.

Credits: MoneyControl