Enhancing The Cricketing Experience For Fans On Instagram And Threads

It’s that time of the year again, when people divide to support their home teams, and unite to cheer for the annual T20 cricketing extravaganza. On our part, we’re collaborating with content creators, a few specific teams, and India’s leading Broadcaster, Star Sports, to bring alive the fan experience on Instagram and Threads. 

Collaborating With Over 250 Content Creators

The enthusiasm that people in India have for their interests is unparalleled. According to the 2024 GenZ Trend Talk report, more than 90% of teens identify themselves as part of a fandom, with cricket being one of their main interests. This was evident during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 which received over 16.9billion views on ICC’s platforms on Meta and we are currently witnessing it as well.

We are collaborating with over 250 content creators to amplify discussions on Threads during the current tournament. Some of these accounts include: 

• Teams – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
• Experts – ex cricketer Akash Chopra, sports presenter Ridhima Pathak and analyst Mufaddal Vohra.
• Creators –  Naveen Singh aka bihariladka, Shreyas Mendiratta and  Deepika Venkatachalam aka deepika_v__

“The current cricket fever is all about intense rivalries, passionate involvement and strong fan following. With platforms like Threads that enable fans and experts to voice their opinions and Instagram that allows fans and athletes to share moments and create unique content related to the games, we are dedicated to heighten this excitement through our partnerships and collaborations with creators from all over India. We’re thankful to our partners like Star Sports as well, to join in this journey.” – Paras Sharma, Director, Content and Community Partnerships, Meta, India. 

Partnering With Star Sports To Enhance Fan Experiences

We have teamed up with Star Sports, as we did during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, to create engaging experiences for fans throughout the tournament. This is being achieved through regular interventions at various touchpoints.

• ‘Ask Star’ – During a live match, fans can submit their questions to the commentary team at Star Sports on Threads, who will then select some of them to answer.
• ‘Ajab Gajab T20 Challenge’ – Star Sports developed a one-of-a-kind concept where former cricketers and a group of content creators played a game of box cricket before the start of the tournament. The participants included cricketers such as Harbhajan Singh, Irfaan Pathan, and Steve Smith, as well as content creators like Naveen Singh, Dharna Durga and Rishabh Shukla. This event was broadcasted on Star Sports and also available on reels for fans to watch.
• ‘Shor Squad’ – A group of selected creators will have the opportunity to have their reels broadcasted live during the matches. 

“At Star Sports, our mission is to enhance the cricketing experience for fans across every platform. We are thrilled to bring the cricket extravaganza to life through our Creator Network program, joining hands with top creators and influencers to deliver an immersive experience by dialing up fan engagement, with initiatives like ‘Ask Star’ (Give fans a chance to ask questions to their favorite cricketing expert), ‘Dream Job’ (A chance to become an anchor on Star Sports) and the ‘Ajab Gajab T20 Challenge’ (A mixed team match between cricketing heroes & fans). Together with Meta, we’re redefining fan engagement and are committed to creating unforgettable money can’t buy experiences for every cricket enthusiast, uniting fans in the spirit of the game.” – Vikram Passi, Marketing Head, Star Sports

Partnering With Teams

We also partnered with Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders to host creator days, where content creators got a chance to interact and collaborate with the teams and players. 

Follow #IPL2024 on Instagram and search for the tag ‘IPL2024’ on Threads, for all latest conversations and entertaining content from the ongoing season.

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