MAM
The fantasy sports industry is poised to play a huge role in creating highly skilled jobs: My11Circle SVP Saroj Panigrahi
Mumbai: Fantasy cricket app, My11Circle, has launched a campaign featuring the ‘Women in Blue’ titled Lalkaar Ladkiyon Ki dedicated to promoting and building momentum for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Set in the backdrop of prominent women cricketers like Harmanpeet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, and Smriti Mandhana practising & preparing for the tournament, the 45-second video narrates how these women have shown resilience and grit to leave a mark in the field of cricket. My11Circle is also the proud official sponsor of Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 – a tournament to showcase women’s representation in the largest cricket league in the world.
On the sidelines of the digital campaign launch, My11Circle senior vice-president Saroj Panigrahi spoke to Indiantelevision.com about the importance of this sponsorship that goes beyond being just sponsors, towards bringing gender neutrality to the world of sports, especially cricket.
India is the biggest market for fantasy sports globally, with more than 130 million users playing across over 200 platforms. Launched in 2019, the My11Circle platform has created a distinct spot for itself witnessing a 100 per cent growth in user base last year. The brand was also the official title sponsor of Lucknow Super Giants during this season’s IPL. However, it hasn’t been a cake walk for the fantasy sports platform which had to go through its fair share of trials during the pandemic with live sports coming to a halt. Panigrahi also shared inputs on the future of online skill gaming in India and the roadmap ahead for the brand.
Edited excerpts:
On the objective behind sponsoring the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022
Cricket has always been a strategic investment for us. As an organisation, we strongly believe in gender parity. Our title sponsorship of the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 was not only a great opportunity to demonstrate that belief, but also the perfect stage to associate with the finest batters, bowlers and fielders in the cricket world. We have consistently been striving to encourage women’s participation in games and sports that have traditionally been dominated by men, as we acknowledge the dedication and quality they bring to sports.
This partnership has strengthened our connection with millions of cricket fans throughout India, and will inspire more women to take up the sport. It has also certainly helped us in generating more visibility for the My11Circle brand.
On the recent spurt in growth in the online gaming industry
As per industry reports, the Indian gaming industry is currently pegged at $2.2 billion and expected to be a $7 billion industry by 2027. Live interaction, end-to-end encryption, payment gateways, freemium formats, hyper-personalised experiences, and other features have made the gaming environment safer and more entertaining for players. Mobile phone-based gaming applications continue to dominate the market, accounting for 86 per cent of all gaming experiences.
We are a technology company with a passion for gaming. We specialise in artificial intelligence and behavioural science. From pioneering the first online monetised skill gaming platform in India to becoming the most valued multi-gaming unicorn with over 100 million users, Games24x7 has witnessed tremendous growth in the last few years. Our fantasy platform My11Circle is India’s fastest growing fantasy sports platform, and we witnessed a 100 per cent increase in our user base last year.
On overcoming the impact of the pandemic on the company’s business
Just as the Covid pandemic wreaked havoc on every industry, the fantasy sports business also took a hit. As a platform, we are completely dependent on live sports, which came to an indefinite halt during the lockdown. However, things started to pick up after the restrictions were lifted. Our fantasy platform, My11Circle saw a 100 percent increase in its user base last year, and recorded stellar growth of over 30 per cent during this year’s IPL season.
On the industry trends you see emerging in the near future
Cricket is an important part of India’s cultural fabric and people’s interest in cricket directly translates into their interest in fantasy cricket. By associating with tournaments like the Women’s T20 Challenge, we have seen a huge growth in female user engagement on our app. We aim to maximise women’s participation in competitions that will promote the growth of sports in India by bringing to the fore new skills, talents, perspectives, standards, and idols. This will also impact women’s digital engagement patterns and the way they participate in fantasy sports.
On My11Circle’s association with the Lucknow Super Giants during this IPL
My11Circle is the official title sponsor of Lucknow Super Giants, and the brand enjoys a position of prominence on the team’s jersey. India’s central region did not have an IPL team until 2021, so it was a great opportunity for us to associate with Lucknow Super Giants. Since our fan base is spread across different regions, we have witnessed an amazing response. There has been strong support for the team from users which has been reflected in their engagement on our platform.
Our association with the Lucknow Super Giants has played a key role in the expansion of our user base. While the team was a new entrant to the fray, their performances were nothing short of remarkable. The brand of cricket that LSG played, and their involvement till the final stages of the tournament piqued the fans’ interest, and gave us exceptional visibility, translating into many new users joining our platform.
On the future of fantasy sports and online skill gaming in India
Owing to the increasing internet penetration, we see a lot of opportunities for user expansion in the coming years. If we look at data, mobile gaming is poised to surpass $136 billion in 2022. Technology will help us diversify narratives, create immersive storylines, and build more realistic gaming experiences for our players.
The fantasy sports industry is poised to play a huge role in creating highly skilled jobs, generating revenue, attracting FDI, propagating sporting culture, and contributing to India’s socioeconomic status. As a sport of national value, cricket garners a lot of buzz in the fantasy ecosystem. However, in the coming years, other sports like kabaddi, football and hockey will be gaining traction in the fantasy space. The ever-growing fan base of fantasy sports is further redefining the love for gaming as a mainstream recreational activity.
Watch the video here:
Brands
Radio City names Brijesh Magoo as national brand solutions head
Former Ishq FM programming lead to drive creative and revenue strategy
MUMBAI: Radio City India has appointed Brijesh Magoo as national head for brand solutions, strengthening its creative and content-led offerings as it looks to deepen advertiser engagement.
Magoo steps into the role after a brief stint as consultant for creative solutions at Radio City, where he worked on shaping integrated brand propositions. In his new position, he will lead the network’s creative solutions arm, focusing on building branded content, driving revenue opportunities and enhancing client partnerships.
He brings with him over a decade of experience across radio programming, content strategy and creative leadership. Most recently, he served as national programming head at Ishq 104.8 FM, where he led content strategy and programming initiatives at a national level.
During his time with Ishq FM, Magoo held multiple leadership roles, including national creative lead and head of programming, as well as programming head for Mumbai. His work spanned content development, audience engagement and format innovation, helping shape the station’s identity in a competitive radio landscape.
Prior to this, he spent six years at Red FM, rising from executive producer to assistant programming head, where he honed his skills in creative direction and on-air content strategy. He also had a brief stint as head of copy at Jack in the Box Worldwide, adding an agency perspective to his portfolio.
Magoo is an alumnus of Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad, where he specialised in creative communications, and holds a degree in management studies from University of Mumbai.
His appointment signals Radio City’s continued focus on content-driven brand solutions, where storytelling and advertising increasingly go hand in hand. As audio platforms evolve beyond traditional broadcasting, Magoo’s blend of programming and creative expertise could help the network tune into new growth frequencies.
