Long before Fantasy Sports in India became popular among sports fans, sports were primarily consumed as passive entertainment from the comfort of one's living room. 

Fantasy sports have transformed the way sports fans consume their favourite sport by transforming them from passive viewers to active participants and keeping them on the edge of their seats. 

Fantasy sports in India has become an enabler in a country where every sports fan has an opinion and considers himself an expert, bringing sports fans closer to live action, especially cricket on the cricket live app.

While cricket undoubtedly takes the lead due to its sheer volume and mass popularity, other sports such as football, kabaddi, and basketball (NBA) have begun to climb to the top of the popularity rankings, thanks to their growing fan bases.

The gaming industry in India has grown significantly in the last two years. According to Statista, India had a gaming population of 365 million in 2020, which was expected to grow to 510 million by the end of 2022. Based on these figures, it is easy to see how beneficial the last two years have been for India's gaming industry. In this trend gaming industry, a large portion of our massive population has resorted to fantasy games.

Growth of Fantasy sports in India

Over the last few decades, technology has bridged the gap between the Indian gaming industry's dreams and opportunities. Even though India is a newcomer to the global fantasy sports industry when compared to Canada and the United States, it has seen an increase in the number of fantasy sports fans. 

The Indian sports industry was already thriving, but it has been shaken by the global expansion of technology. In recent years, fantasy sports gaming has taken the Indian gaming industry by storm. It has allowed sports fans to get a closer look at the action in real time by becoming active participants in their favourite games.

Reasons For The Growth Of ESports or Fantasy Sports in India.

The prime reason for the growth of ESports or Fantasy sports in India are as follows-

  • Cricket and technological advancement are two things people are passionate about. 
  • The unparalleled passion for the game of cricket is one of the main reasons for the massive growth of fantasy sports in India. 
  • Another important factor in the development of fantasy sports has been technological advancement, which has resulted in the rise of 4 G-enabled smartphones, allowing fans to easily access their desired games and other applications via phones. 

The digital nature of Fantasy Sports platforms lends itself to the creation of multisport ecosystems, which could be valuable in a country with a population of 130 crores attempting to build a sports culture from the ground up. With high-speed, low-cost internet, rising smartphone penetration, and sports broadcast on OTT platforms, a perfect ecosystem has been created for sports viewers to engage more with sports on the go, and has thus become the catalyst for the success of FS platforms. 

Thus, Fantasy Sports in India are creating a virtuous cycle of investment in sports. It encourages fan engagement and appreciation for a variety of indigenous and international sports.

In addition to providing a deeper relationship with the sport, Fantasy Sport has given back to the sports industry in other ways through sponsorships and grassroots initiatives and is creating a value chain that begins with increased and sustained development of sports in the country.