There is a space for under-served sports events in India: FanCode

CHENNAI: The arrival of OTT platforms has changed the entire dynamics of watching sports in India. Ever since making an entry into the field which involves big market players, FanCode has carved out a space for itself and brings live cricket from the Caribbean, Bangladesh, FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Bundesliga among others.

In an interview with The New Indian Express, FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco shares their thoughts on their model.

Excerpts from an email interview.

Q) You have invested in cricket series which are not of interest to sports channels. But still, there seems to be considerable interest in those events. Is that the reason FanCode is picking these events and do they benefit?

A: At FanCode, we are laser focussed on our consumer, the sports fan. Sports fandom in India has grown exponentially in the last two decades and the ecosystem to support this has lagged behind. We are continuously working on filling the void of under-served sports fans by providing them greater access to the sports and sports events that they follow and love.

Q) Apart from Test cricket and T20s, we see FanCode even streaming European Cricket League matches and other domestic T20s. Do these tournaments have enough takers?

A: We use a data-driven approach to make decisions on which properties to invest in and believe that a number of these need proper investment to grow and flourish. Consequently, we don’t show only select matches from Europe or domestic T20 events but we try to make long-term, multi-year commitments to them. The response for these properties from sports fans has been very encouraging and this will only grow as the events continue to evolve.

Q) Since cricket still sells in India, and with big players like Star, Sony in play, do other series and tournaments that these broadcasters don’t show interest in, are viable for FanCode to invest in?

A: As I said earlier, our decisions on investing behind events are made on the basis of data and tech which helps us use our consumer data to make forward-looking projections. We are much more than just a live-streaming platform and with live scores, insights, and analytics, and with sports commerce we are able to provide a holistic experience to our users which keep them engaged on our platform throughout the year, and not just during live events.

Q): You have introduced pay per match/per series subscription. Given how small the figure is, does it encourage more people to watch only because it is live content?

A: Philosophically we are a “user-first” company. Growing the sports ecosystem also means we need to grow the number of fans for events and encourage them to try out premium services. Offering a match pass or micro-transactions gives users the freedom to choose what they want to see and not commit to an entire month or year. For example, if a user wants to watch only one particular match/ series, he/ she doesn’t have to pay for the entire month or year but just buy a match pass. Such offerings focus on customer experience and personalisation which in turn builds brand loyalty. We want our users to keep coming back, consume our other offerings on the platform including e-commerce, stats, and analysis.

Q) How far are we seeing platforms like FanCode compete for digital rights with Hotstar, Sony Liv for big ticket events involving India or the World Cup?

A) I think that some of these larger players do a great job of distributing and monetising these big-ticket properties. Whether it’s the IPL, whether it’s the FIFA World Cup, whether it’s BCCI cricket, they are able to leverage these big events across linear and digital and have been very successful in this. We at FanCode continue to be focused on building a great platform for sports fans, adding value across multiple services that allows them to follow their favourite sports teams, players and events. Our streaming focus is and will continue to be on the events which have been under-served in the market.