Fantasy sports have become the mainstream source of entertainment for all sports enthusiasts. Especially when viewed in the context of cricket, it’s undeniable that fantasy cricket tournaments have become just as popular as regular cricket tournaments. Several factors have contributed to this tremendous rise in the popularity of fantasy sports in India.
- Increased access to smartphones and the internet: Virtual tournaments are pillars of strong internet connectivity. If you have an unstable internet connection that causes disruptions in your fantasy tournament, you’re less likely to stay engaged in the sport you’re playing. You would be annoyed. This problem has been promptly solved by the competition between internet service providers who want to attract as many users as possible. Internet service providers have developed various low-cost schemes that make the internet an easy service to avail for a large number of people. A smartphone is the other thing fantasy sports players need to access fantasy tournament platforms.
- Increased media coverage: Viewed in the context of fantasy cricket, it’s noticeable that the cricket leagues have been attracting a lot of media coverage and sponsorships. Fantasy cricket leagues are no different. Fantasy cricket tournaments have been attracting a lot of sponsors due to their diverse user base. Large to mid-size companies have been building partnerships with fantasy cricket influencers and fantasy cricket companies to increase their clientele. In turn, it has contributed to the rise of fantasy cricket through the sponsors who spread the word amongst their audience.
- Increase in popularity of social media: fantasy sports companies have been perfectly leveraging the power of social media to increase the number of active users on their platforms. Since social media consists of people of all ages, they’re an excellent medium to reach a huge audience with minimal effort. Due to greater accessibility to the internet, almost everybody is active on some social media. Fantasy sports companies run ads and sponsorships on social media platforms to expand their reach. Furthermore, many social media influencers have built their content around fantasy sports or cricket. Such influencers are known for their fantasy sports advice, strategies, and tricks. Consequently, they are the top targets of fantasy sports companies that build partnerships with them to promote their brand.
- Ease of use: fantasy sports platforms follow a straightforward approach in regard to their functionality. They’re built to suit everybody, regardless of their skill level. For new fantasy sports users, it’s mostly easy for them to understand how the platform works. Likewise, for seasoned fantasy sports players, enough strategies are left for mastery.
- The popularity of sports: sports as a whole is a strong sector, so having a strong fantasy counterpart is no surprise, especially in a country like India, where cricket is celebrated with much zest as a national sport. The popularity of fantasy cricket becomes apparent. Fantasy sports integrate real-life tournaments into their platforms. For fantasy sports players to succeed, they must stay updated with the latest match conditions.
The popularity of fantasy sports has risen in recent years due to a combination of several factors such as increased access to smartphones and the internet, increased media coverage and sponsorship, the use of social media to reach a wider audience, the simplicity and ease of use of the platforms and the ongoing popularity of sports. The rise in fantasy sports has been particularly notable in India where Cricket is celebrated as a national sport and fantasy cricket tournaments have become increasingly popular.