Mobile usage gains popularity during IPL3; 3G launch to give a further boost
Along with the TV and computer screens, IPL3 is being watched on mobile screens too. The ‘Informate Mobile Intelligence Report’ has thrown up some interesting observations on mobile usage during IPL3, which has gained much popularity and followers.
With an aim to understand the role of mobile phone during Indian Premier League Season 3 (IPL3) and in order to understand the kind of content being consumed via the mobile phone on IPL, Informate Mobile Intelligence, a telecom research and analytics provider company, released an ‘Informate Mobile Intelligence Report’, wherein it has highlighted some statistics for the period March 19- 25, 2010 for IPL3 on mobile, which has seen a huge jump in visitors in 2010.
It is a continuous study, which will be conducted throughout the IPL season and the data would be analysed on a weekly basis. The methodology is through mobile metering technology, wherein SmartPhone users download a research application on their phone, which captures the usage of the handset.
According to the findings, the IPLT20 and Cricinfo websites continue to be the most accessed sites, of which IPLT20 is the most popular site in terms of reach among mobile users, leaving behind Rediff Sports, Cricket Nirvana, and CricketNext, among others.
In terms of share of cricket based websites by page views with regards to IPL, Cricinfo received 50 per cent in the overall share of page views during the second week of IPL (March 19-25, 2010) as compared to 47 per cent share in the first week of IPL (from March 11-18, 2010).
The Informate Mobile Intelligence report also found that IPLT20, Cricinfo, Cricbuzz, CricketNext, V Cricket and Rediff Sports are the most popular cricket websites for the 18-30 age group in the second week of IPL. The report also highlighted that cricket websites or sports sites have seen a steady growth in their overall reach during the IPL. Besides this, another interesting find was that Rediff Sports, Cricinfo and CricketNext were popular sites among the 40+ users.
The top cricket applications based on reach for users below 18 years of age are Crickzenga and Cricinfo Mobicast, whereas Crickzenga, Cricinfo Mobicast, CricketCompanion, CricketMob and Broov Aroma are the most popular cricket applications for those in the age group of 18-30 years.
Commenting on the study, Kedar Sohoni, President, Informate Mobile Intelligence Pvt Ltd, said, “This study focuses on SmartPhone users, which are the core users of the mobile Internet and applications. The key objective was to understand the role of the mobile phone in relation to IPL and to understand what kind of content is being consumed through the phone. We see the mobile usage related to IPL deepening in the future. We will see more interactive content, videos, games, applications, etc. The takeaway from this study is that the younger audience is a heavier consumer of IPL content on the mobile. Their depth of consumption in terms of websites/ applications being used is also higher. There is also a huge male skew when it comes to IPL being consumed on mobile.”
The role of mobile
Mobile is set to play a much bigger role during IPL Season Four and by then 3G would have already been launched in India. Mobile video consumption, mobile television, even richer applications are all likely to be game changers for mobile phones, and IPL in its own way is in all likelihood poised to help mobile reach the next level. Ironically, only recently, Global Cricket Ventures had announced the termination of the contract extended to DCI Services for mobile application rights for IPL 2010. The reason cited for the cancellation was customer dissatisfaction due to poor quality of services.
When it comes to live IPL matches, consumers are likely to choose the best screen available to them at any given point. Besides television and Internet, they now turn to the mobile for accessing the live match details, like live scorecards, etc. Beyond live matches, there are other content genres like games and other applications on the mobile, which keep the IPL excitement alive. Cricket related games are played throughout the year on the mobile phone, but have seen a surge during the IPL period.
exchange4media spoke to some industry experts to find out how much of a boost mobile advertising and mobile usage has received during IPL3 and whether 3G can play a game changer for mobile advertising during IPL4?
Kedar Sohoni of Informate Mobile Intelligence observed, “IPL is extremely relevant, especially as an out-of-home property for the mobile phone. There is also huge scope to extend the property beyond just score updates into videos, games, contests and other interactive content. Next year, we expect far richer applications related to the IPL being launched on the mobile phone, especially related to video consumption.”
According to Ashish Pherwani, Associate Director, Media & Entertainment, Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd, “IPL has been used by several mobile companies like Vodafone and Idea to run contests to engage with their subscribers. In fact, some mobile companies’ contests are for both their own as well as other telcos’ subscribers. Given the high decibel level and mind-space occupied by the IPL, running a mobile based contest is a sure way to generate large connect with India’s 500 million mobile subscriber base.”
On whether 3G would bring any difference in IPL experience on mobile, Pherwani said, “Globally, mobile TV has found success in genres such as sports and news. IPL would be the same, with mobile subscribers using their cell phones (whether 3G or GPRS) to catch the action (and comment on it) when on the move or when they don’t have access to a large TV screen.”
