From the Olympics to the Indian Premier League, sports have a way of captivating audiences at scale. In India, many of us have cherished memories of witnessing historic sporting moments like our country’s 2011 Cricket World Cup win, and savouring them repeatedly online. But the way people experience the passion of sports today is changing, and that presents new opportunities for your brand to grow your audience.
In India, the evolving nature of sports viewership is fuelled by two behavioural trends. The first is the prevalence of dual-screen viewing — audiences today are glued to two screens at the same time. They’re watching a match on one screen and simultaneously engaging with related sports content on another screen.
The second trend is viewers engaging with sports events beyond the actual game time. Even before the live event starts, they’re searching for related sports information online. After the event ends, they continue to watch associated digital content. Some go as far as playing fantasy games to savour the event.
Those trends relate to sports, but they matter to all brands — regardless of category — because they’re rooted in fundamental audience behaviours. Once you understand how the viewing behaviours play out, you can tap into them to help your brand reach new audiences and build strong customer connections.
The new dual-screen behaviour among sports viewers
Here’s an example of how audiences in India experience sporting events on two screens. On one screen, they might be watching, say, a live cricket match. That is most likely via a mobile phone or connected TV, since 60% of viewers in India said they would not use TV as their primary screen for upcoming cricket tournaments.1 At the same time, they’re actively engaged on another screen — 71% of live sports viewers tune in to similar content on a second device.2
This dual-screen viewing behaviour plays out seamlessly on a platform like YouTube, which is accessible on various screens, including connected TV (CTV). Indeed, YouTube is what 44% of viewers use to watch sports videos while simultaneously watching live sports on TV.3 The sports videos can include interviews with athletes or play-by-play analyses of ongoing matches on a popular YouTube channel like Sports Tak.
Audiences also use their second screen to search for information while glued to a sports game on another screen. In fact, a whopping 50% of searches related to a game take place while it’s happening.4
A new realm of engagement beyond the live sports event
Viewers are also immersed in a sporting event, far beyond its first and final whistle. That trend is evident in people’s Search behaviour. Half of all searches related to a match happen before or after it,5 as audiences look for the latest information, relive key moments, or analyse a game.
To satisfy their desire to be further immersed, viewers also turn to platforms like YouTube for everything from pre-event trailers to post-event catch-ups. Indeed, 61% of live sports viewers say YouTube is one of the first places they go to after major sports events.6 It’s also the No. 1 CTV platform which viewers in urban cities prefer for content related to something they’ve seen elsewhere, such as behind-the-scenes footage and sports highlights.7
The trend of viewers engaging with a sports event before and after it happens is buoyed by a wave of sports commentators like “Cric-Tuber” Aakash Chopra. He helps his 4.4 million YouTube subscribers stay immersed in cricket events through insightful match analyses and candid player interviews.
Some audiences even embrace alternative forms of immersion like playing fantasy sports, with the number of registered fantasy sports users in India expected to reach 500 million by 2027.
Swiggy Instamart and Dream11 ride the trends to score wins
Given the two sports viewership trends in India, your brand can better reach and connect with highly engaged audiences by showing up for them on Search and YouTube, which is where they are at, around the time of major sporting events. Two brands, Swiggy Instamart and Dream11 have done so with success.
Swiggy Instamart’s strategic play
Leading quick commerce platform Swiggy Instamart knew from strategic inputs and audience insights from Google that there was a significant overlap between cricket viewers and its grocery customers. So it decided to show up for that audience group on YouTube before, during, and after every match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
It ran non-skippable ads and bumper ads on YouTube to remind viewers that its quick delivery service lets them order and get their favourite snacks without missing any of the sporting action. It also used YouTube Masthead to maximise its visibility on the platform on key match days, supercharging its reach and awareness in those crucial moments.
The result was a 10% lift in brand awareness across key markets and a 15% lift in Search terms related to Swiggy Instamart during the cricket season.
Dream11’s winning game
Fantasy sports app Dream11 acquired users at scale and increased brand engagement through its #SabKhelenge (Everyone Can Play) campaign. Timed to coincide with the Indian Premier League, the campaign appealed to a wide range of audiences looking for immersive experiences beyond live matches.
Dream11 used YouTube to deliver its 90-second, long-form ad to viewers because the digital video platform is free from the durational constraints of traditional TV advertising. With YouTube, it was also able to connect with audiences viewing sports content on dual screens.
Additionally, Dream11 tapped into Google AI-powered solutions, including App campaigns and Display & Video 360, to optimise for reach and acquisition. Not only did that reduce its cost of acquisition by 5%, it also gained over 10 million new users.
The trends of dual-screen viewership and engagement beyond the live sports event are more than just passing fads. They’re fundamental behavioural shifts that your brand can tap into to drive reach, awareness, and customer growth during the sports season. Leverage them to help your brand score business wins during key moments like the World Cup and Olympics.
Contributors: Omkar Bhat, Product Marketing, YouTube Ads; Jayesh Moorjani, YouTube Specialist
