As a result of the increased traffic, gaming unicorn Dream11 – India’s largest fantasy gaming platform – surpassed the 200 million registered user mark on its website.
Although India lost the World Cup, Indian fantasy sports players struck a six. During the recently finished International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Men’s World Cup, Indian fantasy sports companies saw their active user bases rise by up to 60%, while corporations experienced unprecedented traffic and record earnings on their platforms.
Consider the fantasy game site SportsBaazi (formerly BalleBaazi).During the World Cup, the firm had a 60% month-on-month rise in its playing users, while maintaining a total active user base of over 400,000 players. The platform’s new sign-ups climbed by 40%.
“Being the first tournament after the newly implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, this was a very important tournament for us.” Traffic and revenue were at an all-time high for us because it was hosted in India,” said Puneet Dua, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of SportsBaazi (previously BalleBaazi), a fantasy game website.
Dua further stated that the number of unique users playing increased 2.15-fold compared to the last World Cup. “The revenue has also grown 2.5-fold compared to the previous tournament,” he said.
As a result of the increased traffic, gaming unicorn Dream11 – India’s largest fantasy gaming platform – surpassed the 200 million registered user mark on its website.
A fantasy sport is a game, typically played on the internet, in which participants form imagined or virtual teams made up of proxies for genuine professional athletes. These teams compete based on their players’ statistical performance in actual games.
Notably, the World Cup final between India and Australia on November 19 had a high audience of approximately 5.9 crore on Disney+Hotstar, which broadcast all tournament events.
Advertising strategies, according to industry observers, played a critical role in increasing traffic on fantasy gaming platforms during the World Cup.
According to a survey by advertising analytics firm mFilterIt, ad slots for India’s games increased by 142% during the fourth week of the tournament compared to the average ad slots for other matches.
The excellent performance of players during matches increased user traffic and interactions on fantasy gaming sites. According to analysts, the event attracted both new and returning users to these sites, exceeding prior traffic standards.
Revenue from the Indian fantasy sports sector has increased by 31% to Rs 6,800 crore in fiscal year (FY) 2022.
According to a recent analysis by The Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) and Deloitte India, this value is predicted to exceed Rs 25,240 crore by FY 2027 at a 33% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
India is the world’s fastest-growing fantasy sports industry, with over 300 fantasy sports platforms (FSPs) and an estimated 180 million members. The business, which is presently worth Rs 75,000 crore, is expected to grow to 500 million people in the next five years.
