Revolutionizing the Cricket Viewing Experience: Team Fanisko Emerges Victorious at the ICC and NIUM Global Hackathon

As the sun began to rise in Ranchi, India, a group of boys gathered on the local cricket ground, dreaming of one day playing on the same stage as their cricket idols. Little did they know that technology would soon revolutionize the way they experience cricket.

One Touch Go! by Fanisko

Thanks to Fanisko’s ONE TOUCH GO, watching a cricket match is no longer limited to a TV screen or radio broadcast. Fanisko’s talented team made it a reality by winning the Global Next-In Hackathon, impressing the esteemed jury members, including cricketing legend Dinesh Karthik and professional Finn Bradshaw. Winning this award showcases the team’s prowess in the field of sports technology.

The Global Next-In Hackathon

The “Next In” Hackathon kicked off in January and saw 12,500 individuals form over 9550 teams from 113 countries, including over 1000 registrants from the USA, a strategic priority market for both the ICC and Nium. Ideas were submitted across four key areas; Web3 & Metaverse, Fintech, In-stadia experience, and Augmented or Virtual Reality (AR/VR).

Winning the Global Next-In Hackathon

On March 15, 2023, Team Fanisko emerged victorious at the ICC and NIUM Global Hackathon, despite being located in different geographical conditions and time zones. They created a revolutionary solution that eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps for live matches, scores, stats, scoring zones, and wagon wheels. The event attracted numerous teams from different parts of the world, with the esteemed jury panel wooed by the innovative product prototype solution presented by Team Fanisko.

Team Fanisko’s winning pitch showcased a prototype of an immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experience that enhances the cricket viewing experience. The AR technology provides real-time data, personalized insights, and more, taking cricket watching to the next level.

Working with ICC to Bring Innovation to Life

As winners of the Global Next-In Hackathon, Team Fanisko has the opportunity to work with ICC to bring their innovative AR prototype to life and implement it on a larger scale. This is a significant opportunity for the team to showcase their skills and collaborate with industry leaders to make a real impact in the world of cricket.

Transforming the Sports Industry

Team Fanisko’s success showcases its ability to transform the sports industry by driving innovation and growth in the sports tech space. They have established themselves as leaders in the sports tech space, inspiring other sports tech companies to invest in emerging technologies that meet the evolving needs of sports fans worldwide.

Adapting to a Virtual Environment

What’s impressive about Team Fanisko’s victory is their digital transformation capabilities, collaborating effectively in a virtual environment. Their success is a testament to their adaptability and resilience, essential qualities for any team in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing business environment.

Meeting for the First Time on the Eve of the Finals

It is worth mentioning that the team members of Team Fanisko had never met each other in person until the eve of the Global Next-In Hackathon finals. Despite being located in different parts of the world and working remotely, they were able to collaborate effectively and present a winning pitch that impressed the judges.

ICC’s Perspective

ICC Head of Digital, Finn Bradshaw said: “The Next In Hackathon has been an incredible exercise in unearthing some of the most innovative solutions from the global tech community. As we went through this journey for the first time with NIUM, what was really exciting was seeing fans from over 100 countries engage with our sport. Today we are proud to have crowned Fanisko as the winner and believe their prototype has the potential to become a favorite product for cricket fans.”

Fanisko’s Perspective

Sathish Chittibabu CEO, Fanisko said: “What an incredible week it was! Team Fanisko won the Global Next-In hackathon hosted by International Cricket Council in partnership with Nium and Hack2skill which saw over 12,500 participants from 113 countries. Our winning pitch showcased a prototype of an immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experience to enhance the cricket viewing experience. We walk away with an opportunity to work with ICC to bring the prototype to life and implement it”

As an emerging leader in the sports tech space, this is a huge recognition for all the innovation we do in fan engagement to help sports organizations across the world to engage their next generation of fans!

Very proud of my team who worked remotely and met for the first time at the grand finale in Bengaluru a true testament to digital transformation!“

3 Mistakes Sports Teams Need To Avoid When Venturing Into the Metaverse

Since its inception, the metaverse has been used as a platform for gaming enthusiasts. In recent years, more businesses have started to make their way into this digital universe. Sports teams looking to improve fan engagement have found that the metaverse holds an unlimited number of possibilities. 

On average, over 400 million people use the metaverse every month. If you are starting to develop a metaverse strategy for your sports team, then you need to be mindful of mistakes to avoid. Below are just some of the mistakes sports teams should avoid when venturing into the metaverse. 

1. Don’t Leave the Fans Out of Your Metaverse Strategy

Some sports teams view the metaverse as an avenue where they can make additional revenue. While making money is important, you want to make sure the fans are provided with valuable content in the metaverse. Focusing solely on making money can make fans feel alienated as your sports team ventures into this digital universe. 

If you want to get fans excited about your journey into the metaverse, then you need to provide them with things like exclusive experiences and rewards. Many sports teams have found that using NFTs is a great way to keep fans engaged. These one-of-a-kind digital tokens can be used to provide loyal fans with limited-edition merchandise or unique experiences. 

Creating jersey NFTs that people can equip their metaverse avatars with is also a good idea. Getting your sponsors involved in the NFT creation process is crucial when trying to provide metaverse fans with more value. 

2. Avoid Run-of-the-Mill Streaming Events

Overusing streaming events in the metaverse can lead to fans becoming alienated. If you are unable to convey what makes these streaming events unique, then the majority of your fanbase will ignore them. This is why you need to focus on originality and uniqueness when creating these metaverse streaming events. 

Creating NFTs for these events is a great way to give fans a permanent reminder of when they will occur. You can also use the NFT as a way to provide event attendees with collectibles or other perks that provide value. Many teams have used these event NFTs as a way to provide a few lucky fans with personalized virtual meet-and-greets. Offering these one-of-a-kind experiences can help to make your metaverse streaming events more popular. 

3. Stagnant Stadium Recreations are a Bad Idea

Simply recreating your stadium in the metaverse isn’t enough to get fans excited. Rather than providing these stagnant stadium recreations, you need to work on creating an immersive and rewarding experience for fans. Allowing fans to play virtual games in the stadium is a great idea. You can also use your digital sports stadium to host virtual eCommerce options. With a virtual club store in your digital stadium, you can provide unique items to tech-savvy fans. 

By avoiding the mistakes mentioned above, you can have success when taking your sports team into the metaverse.

Top Reasons Why Gamification Matters in Sports

What is one of the best ways for you to increase the engagement of your sports fans? Gamification is an advanced technology that could help fans to take their gaming experience to the next level. You could be missing out if you’re not taking advantage of this trend. Gamification can provide so many cool benefits that you might not be aware of. Let’s take a look at a few good reasons why you should consider implementing this technology.

More Fun

Fans who continuously play the same mundane games can get bored quickly. However, the implementation of gamification can add extra appeal and excitement to sports. Adding fun gaming elements can attract more sports fans and keep them engaged for longer periods. 

The younger generation loves sports as well as playing all types of electronic games. So, you can use gamification to keep them invested in your sports brand. This is also an effective way to introduce people to sports and increase their desirability of sports.

Better Workouts

What is the best way to make working out less boring and more exciting? Gamification is an awesome alternative for people who hate going to the gym. It’s so easy for people to engage in their workout regimen through the integration of gamification. 

Gamification gives them the advantage to engage in all types of sports they can easily perform from the comfort of their homes. This is an effective way for them to remain motivated and to improve their engagement through their workout activities, such as cycling, running, and cycling.

Gaming Skills

Gamification has the potential to help people learn new sports and improve their gaming skills. These are great benefits that enable gamers to have more fun competing with each other and being more engaged in a game. 

Health and Fitness

Through innovative gamification technologies, kids have the chance to improve their health and fitness levels. Gamification can have a profound influence on kids, which may encourage them to be more active in sports at school.

Increase Fan Connectivity With Gamification

It is known that fan loyalty is the foundation of a successful brand. You can authentically provide your fans with an incredible gaming experience that could help to retain their loyalty to your brand. 

In the world of sports, the implementation of gamification may help to increase awareness or boost the popularity of your brand. With a growing number of gamers, this is an idea that you can use long-term to improve your brand.

Four Big Tips For Your UI/UX

What’s in a user interface?

If you’ve never asked yourself this question, now is the time.

Companies that are creating mobile apps, web apps or anything else digital will have to really think about how to reach end users, with systems that are designed well and improved as far as optimal user interface and user experience.

In other words, UI/UX is not a buzzword for no reason. It’s really incredibly important and that’s why a lot of people are talking about it right now.

Here are four big tips for creating the best UI/UX for your company resources.

Tidy Controls

Having an intuitive user interface means having the controls where they need to be on a page or screen. Think about how to create the right icons and source the right elements to have controls that users find it easy to take advantage of in a particular scenario. They want good service! Think of it that way, and design accordingly.

Easy Access

One of the biggest problems with a bad user interface is obstacles to easy access, from an introductory screen to features and content.

If people have to do multiple password resets and multifactor authentication doesn’t work right, many of them are going to be turned away. On the other hand, when they have a convenient way to work with app security, that’s a feather in your cap!

Layout

This goes along with the intuitive interface controls mentioned above, but layout is incredibly important. What the user sees is going to frame what they do. So they need to see something that they understand and like. They have to feel at home. How do you figure this out? A/B testing and beta can help.

Support

Having adequate support for an application or interface gives people a much-needed out when they encounter serious problems. Maybe only a few percent of users will encounter these problems, but if they do, they need to know they have a solution on hand.

We are the premiere web app and mobile app dev helpers in this part of the field. We understand the task of engaging fans, reaching audiences and ramping up numbers with UI/UX that works! If you feel you are behind the 8-ball when it comes to design or implementation, get help from a firm that understands the nature of this kind of work. It’s second-nature to us! And we are here to help you to build campaigns that vault your company toward success.

Fan Advertising and Audience Segmentation

Fan oriented branding and sports and recreation advertising is a very interesting field. It’s something that is developing new facets in the new world of digital advertising and new technologies like responsive design for mobile. 

In this kind of marketing, you’re talking about appealing to people’s interest in sports teams and other similar brands.

We can help – at Fanisko, we’ve developed specific advertising and development services that work on a particular knowledge about how sports advertising and digital branding works. This is something that we’ve thought about quite a bit, as we put together solutions for our clients that match the realities of today’s business world. 

A Core Audience

Unlike a lot of broader digital marketing campaigns, fan-based advertising speaks specifically to a particular audience.

It takes a subset of the population with a specific interest and makes a deep connection. So it’s different than just trying to attract a general audience.

That’s where audience segmentation comes into play. The best campaigns in this type of advertising work when they identify that audience and segment the marketing accordingly. The precision in identifying the fan base is a solid foundation for the actual marketing efforts. It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of this. Think about the visceral reaction that somebody has when they see their favorite team’s logo on something! That’s the idea that we work from in developing specialized plans for fan base building and sports branding operations. 

Augmented Reality and Gamification

After you’ve done your audience segmentation, you still have to build the user experience.

In our opinion, this is something that a lot of companies really don’t put enough effort into.

We often talk about the power of gamification to improve advertising and customer engagement, and that’s even more important in this special type of campaign. To the extent that you can visualize your efforts, you get really impressive outcomes. In some ways, gamification was “made for” fan advertising!

There’s also the use of augmented reality to improve interfaces. People think about this as Robocop with a digital map over his field of vision but that’s not all that AR represents.

Our use of AR in marketing is a cutting-edge example of how to bring the fruits of modern technology to a specific kind of outreach use application. And it’s something that works. 
Look for more on our web site and get connected to get this branding power for yourself. We are excited about these technologies, and we think that you will be, too.