sports fan engagement

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!“

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It’s a big feat that they’re showing their support and cheering for the teams competing in the World Cup 2022 in Qatar and beyond that.

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GenZ and Millennial Sports Fans Are Changing the Game of Sports

Millennials and GenZ’ers are already the majority of the population and only by addressing their needs and viewing preferences will the sports industry be able to maximize its profits and fan retention capabilities. Times, they are changing.

Time does seem to pass faster now that we are in the digital age, doesn’t it? It’s still a bit hard to come to grips with the fact that the 90’s started almost 30 years ago. Yet, those born in 2000 are turning eighteen this year. These ‘kids’ are the so-called Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2015) and are taking the world of sports by storm.

This change was already in the making of the millennial generation, but unlike their successors, millennials are more of a transition breed, born and raised predominantly in the pre-internet era. Nevertheless, statistics show that by 2020, 40% of consumers and a third of all US citizens will be, in fact, part of GenZ. That’s less than two years away.

And for the great amount of influence this generation will have in the immediate future, many marketers don’t seem to give it too much consideration. This is probably because they’re still trying to figure out millennials to even consider taking on the younger generation.

The Change Is Already Happening

Kids or not, many are already active members of society, either going to college or being part of the workforce. Jonah Stillman, an 18-year-old keynote speaker, author, and generation expert at GenZGuru, is for all intents and purposes the voice of his peers. In September 2017, he was hired by the Minnesota Vikings to conduct research and predict trends based on the viewing habits of his fellow GenZ’ers.

In an interview with the New York Post, Stillman said that “we may not be your core consumers right now, but five or 10 or 15 years down the line, we are going to be your avid spenders, your avid fans, and the time to get on our radar is now.” He also went on to say that “A GenZ’er will watch on the TV for 10 seconds, look at their phone for the next two minutes, then back at their laptop screen, then the next 20 minutes they’re back on the TV screen.”

In other words, sports content will be highly fragmented and will appear on a multitude of digital channels, other than TV. In fact, the more of these viewing options there are, the more TV will lose its central focus, tying everything together. This trend is already beginning to happen and will only accelerate as time goes on.

Such a development presents ample opportunities for sports teams and leagues to engage with their fans in more meaningful ways. Yet, this diversity in terms of both content and viewing channels can quickly become too complex, being hard to follow, predict, and monetize.

Certain platforms such as Fanisko Engage can offer the benefits of both content diversity and the convenience of having that content on the same app. Fans will be able to watch all trending topics about their team without having to change between TV, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook to get it. Highlights, behind-the-scenes moments, games, VR/AR simulations, and other such customizable content will be easily accessible on a single platform.

How Data Is Changing the Nature of Fan Engagement

Today’s mobile and social technologies have completely transformed the way fans consume their sports content and how they interact with their favorite clubs on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that it’s no longer enough for organizations to think they know what their fans want, and instead, they have to know what they want.

Today’s mobile and social technologies have completely transformed the way fans consume their sports content and how they interact with their favorite clubs on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that it’s no longer enough for organizations to think they know what their fans want, and instead, they have to know what they want.

As a direct consequence of this trend, sports teams and their stakeholders are on a constant lookout for new methods on getting their supporters connected by adding more value to their fan experience. But to do that, however, they need to understand better what drives their fans and what makes them look for more.

As GlobalSportsJobs CEO Will Lloyd states: “The answer, as so often these days, is data.”

From any given club’s perspective, fan data is a precious asset to have. And it’s only those teams that have figured out ways on how to gather, analyze, and utilize this data to their advantage, who have a chance to increase the value of their fan engagement in a consistent manner. In other words, the information allows sports teams to get inside their fans’ heads, and in a sense, anticipate their actions, their desires, and their dislikes. It is to provide them with everything that they will ever want or need from their team.

“It is more important than ever to understand who our fans are and how they want to engage with us,” said Ian Treseder, Marketing and Commercial Manager at the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).

Fan Data Analytics Application

Analytics can be applied in a wide range of areas such as ticket pricing, customer relationship management; sales inventory, and, of course, fan engagement. But when it comes to the latter, in particular, it can be used to enhance the live game experience, as well as to increase both fan and sponsor participation.

With abundant data at their disposal, sports teams can find new and innovative ways to engage specific fan groups. Live engagement can, for instance, be used to enhance the in-game experience, like requesting a particular song or earning a reward for frequent concession purchases.

With past attendance data, teams can increase ticket purchases with targeted promotions and offer personalized discounts for similar games like those previously attended. Similarly, this sort of data can be used to target those who don’t attend games as much and could be motivated through some custom-tailored promotions. Sponsor ads can also be personalized based on the fans’ past behavior, both on and off the stadium, for increased effectiveness.

Fans Using Data

Sports fans are also keen on getting their hands on some data, and some teams are more than willing to provide it. The data offers a fan what they want to know. It can be about how fast a player is running, or the distance a player covered on the court, or other in-depth information about what’s going on. Many fans are also into fantasy sports, and by having this sort of data, it can influence their picks for their fantasy teams. In short, there is a multitude of ways that data can be used to enhance fan engagement.

Conclusion

As an SDK integration platform, Fanisko Engage can provide both you and your fans with the necessary data for a more engaging and pleasurable fan experience overall. From front-end interaction like Mixed Reality for fan experiences, Augmented Reality for gamification, and Artificial Intelligence for personalization, to back-end analytics, Fanisko brings teams into the modern era of data-driven fan engagement. For more information, please feel free to check out our website.

The Importance of an Integrated Fan Engagement Platform

Enhancing the fan experience at the stadium has always been on the mind of sports clubs, ever since sports became an industry. But as technology is progressing and we are finding ourselves in the midst of yet another technological revolution, the focus has been slowly shifting away from the ‘match day’ and more into the ‘every other day.’

Some, more forward-thinking sports teams have realized that fan engagement plays a crucial role in their growth strategy and that there is much more to it than what’s happening during match day. There are four other fan engagement strategies, all tied together by a fully integrated fan engagement platform.

Hosting Fans

Non-match days provide an excellent opportunity to entertain fans at your venue to make them feel more like part of the team. A tremendous and intimate experience is stadium tours. The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, use virtual reality to bring the club’s history to life for their fans. The club’s stadium has a 10,000 sq. foot interactive experience, known as the “Vikings Voyage.”

Connecting Fans

Sports fans are tribal, and they want to communicate with their fellow fans almost as much as they do with the team, itself. Facilitating those connections is a sound fan engagement strategy. Behind-the-scenes experiences with the help of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR,) as well as 360-degree video are a great example of fan-team connectivity. It is how the New England Patriots do it with their “Travel Inside the Game” initiative. Fantasy football and other such eSports are a great way to connect fans.

Bringing Fans Closer to the Live Action

As sports clubs grow, so does the fan base. But as it so happens, not everyone can attend the matches, mostly because of geographical distances. But as VR technologies continue to develop, it is possible to make these fans feel like they’re on the pitch, from the comfort of their own homes.

Enhancing the Live Experience

Empty stands can and will result in a flat atmosphere, even for those watching at home. Improving the live experience and drawing in the crowds, is and will continue to remain an essential factor. AR/VR technologies like MLB At Bat app is one example of bringing people back to the stadium. On-location free Wi-Fi is a given.

The Integrated Fan Engagement Platform

More sports teams recognize the importance of having a fully-integrated digital platform where they can stay connected with their fans and have fun and interactive activities happening 24/7, 365 days per year. The best such platforms, like Fanisko Engage, will integrate operations from all the four fan engagement strategies mentioned above.