Cricket’s journey into a world of tech-driven possibilities

IPL- 2023

To borrow a cliché from Hindi movies, the first week of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw a “bumper opening” on JioCinema.

Before we move on to understand this further, a quick look at the numbers.

The IPL witnessed a record 147 crore video views on the opening weekend, approximate 5 crore downloads of the JioCinema app over the weekend, a massive 2.5 crore downloads on the day of the opening game itself and an average of 57 minutes per viewer per match.

These numbers are phenomenal and the week isn’t even over yet. Look at this developing framework from a POV of the 21/90 rule – it takes 21 days to make a habit and 90 days to make it a permanent lifestyle change – and see how the thought expands.

In the present context, it’s understandable that what happened this week is probably getting documented more on the lines of a linear versus digital debate and the argument on the lines of ‘what has prevailed over what’.

However, cut through the clutter and look at the larger picture – the debate, you’ll see is between a platform that may be standing on its own right now but without a long-term prospect and a platform that may be seen as merely settling down right now but for a tomorrow that’s extremely promising without a doubt.

The internet is as important as the wheel, in terms of invention, right? Maybe more.

A major shift

The India growth story has never been so acutely synonymous with India’s digital growth story as it is right now and, in that, cricket – a product that India consumes like no other – happens to be the chief catalyst driving the narrative forward.

The IPL is merely among the first chapters in this story.

As the week turns a month and to the next, when the IPL begins to move towards its business end, we’ll begin to see the further shaping up of these numbers. The 21/90 rule will start coming into effect.

Until then, let’s try and look at the other factors accentuating this shift.

Live sport, for the longest time now, has been the final bastion of ‘appointment viewing’ – a term that OTT came and ‘killed’ in the last few years. It’s only while watching live sport that you’ll have to ‘switch on’ for the game at an appointed hour, right?

While live sport has kept appointment viewing alive, the ‘joy’ of watching live sport on a digital platform – riding on the user interface that will keep getting better each passing season – is ensuring that appointment viewing will further disintegrate within the space.

For instance, switch on to the ‘hype mode’ on JioCinema, while watching an IPL game live – the app works on mobile phones and pads the best – and added elements like the scorecard, the wagon wheel, player profiles, run-rate charts, points table, partnership tallies, bowling figures are all at your fingertips.

Until now, on linear, you had to wait for the broadcaster to bring it to you between overs and between innings.

Now, if we allow our minds to wander, what are the possibilities we’re looking at in this very space, going forward?

Engaging with fans in ‘real time’; forming groups and circles of individuals with similar viewing habits to create a discussion platform during a live game; the sharing of memes and gifs during a live game; fantasy apps functioning ball-by-ball. The future of user interface is limitless.

Tie your seatbelts. This was merely the opening week of a long journey that’ll soon begin to transcend.