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The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first and only self-regulatory industry body for the sports gaming sector, released a study on ‘Fantasy Sports: Measuring its impact on actual sports consumption’

In a custom study commissioned to Nielsen by IFSG, 1169 respondents were covered from cities such as – Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Out of the total sample size of 1169, 566 respondents were Fantasy sports Players and 603 respondents were Non-Fantasy Sports Players. It was also found that 37 per cent of Fantasy sports Players consume more than six to eight hours of real-life sports content per week to stay abreast with knowledge on players and match conditions turning passive sports viewers into active participants of a match.

This is the first study that attempts to understand the relationship between playing Fantasy sports and consumption of real-life/actual sports. Owing to the convergence of sports and technology, the Indian sports fans are enjoying a truly immersive and engaging viewing experience. With the advent of affordable smartphones and high-speed internet access, there has never been a better time to be a sports fan in India.

Commenting on the findings of the Custom Nielsen study commissioned by IFSG, Anwar Shirpurwala, CEO, IFSG said, “India is a sports loving nation. Alongside cricket which remains our most watched sport, we are witnessing increased viewership of sports like Kabaddi and Hockey as well as the advent shorter format sports leagues like IPL, Indian Super League (ISL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The fantasy sports platforms are enabling casual fans to engage with the sports they love becoming core sports fans. The growth of the Online Fantasy Sports Gaming platforms is resulting in a growth in the viewership of various formats of sports. The findings validate the strong potential of Fantasy Sports in contributing to the growth of sports ecosystem of India.”

Key Highlights from the IFSG study are:

● Kabaddi is followed more by fantasy sports players as compared to non-players. Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players: 37 per cent players followed Kabaddi whereas out of 603 respondents, 31 per cent non-players followed kabaddi sports

● Players mainly follow Cricket on TV & Online: Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players, 80per cent players follow cricket on TV at home, 73 per cent players follows on the internet (Apps), and 57 per cent players follows on the internet (Online). Followers prefer new age mediums like apps and websites to follow their favourite sport

● Fantasy Sports Players like following scoreboard of matches online more than non-users. Out of 566 respondents from metro area who are Fantasy sports players-

78 per cent of respondents follow the match while it is ongoing by following an online scoreboard or using online apps
66 per cent follow cricket players & team news online so that they understand which players are performing well
66 per cent discuss with friends about the matches/ tournaments
61 per cent eagerly await the coin toss before the match starts

Out of 566 respondents from the metro area who are Fantasy sports players and 603 respondents who are non-fantasy sports players-

37 per cent players spend more than 6-8 hours on TV/Online VS 8per cent of non-players
32 per cent of players spend more than 3 hrs watching a sports match VS 14 per cent of non-players
80 per cent users agree with browsing information about sports, matches improve their strategy
62 per cent of respondents watch different types of leagues, even when their team/country is not playing

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