Mumbai Indians get most-engagement on Facebook, beat sports teams like Manchester United and FC Barcelona
MI have successfully defended their crown in in the digital arena.
By Rohan Abraham, ET Bureau | Updated:
BCCL
Mumbai Indians (MI) might have successfully defended their Indian Premier League (IPL) crown in 2020, but it has been equally successful in the digital arena. The IPL franchise witnessed the most fan engagements on social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - for the third successive season, according to two separate reports by CrowdTangle and Unmetric.
“Mumbai Indians’ success on the digital front during this unique IPL season is testament to pioneering stature and following of our club across the globe,” a team spokesperson said.
Bereft of fans, the 2020 edition of the IPL was held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that teams were faced with the daunting task of replicating in-stadia fan engagement on social media. MI came up with conceptualising and launching digital initiatives like ‘Paltan Play,’ ‘MI Live,’ ‘MI Buddy,’ and ‘Virtual Wankhede.’
MI clocked cumulative social media interactions in excess of 317 million across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, making it the most table topped on the social media front. Royal Challengers Bangalore came second with 277.65 interaction, followed by CSK at 189.67 million. The figures recorded by MI show a 60% increase over that witnessed last year, highlighting the importance of campaigns like ‘Paltan Play,’ which provided fans a window into the dressing room, including interactions with skipper Rohit Sharma.
The tournament, which was streamed digitally on Disney+ Hotstar, also witnessed record viewership. MI tapped into the demand for live sport with the ‘MI Live’ show which was broadcast on matchdays. It garnered 8 million views, and drew 750k engagements. The franchise also tested a WhatsApp bot, ‘MI Buddy,’ which exchanged 4 million messages with 200k fans.
The IPL franchise also has the distinction of being the most popular sports team in the world on Facebook for the months of October and November 2020. According to a study by Spanish firm Deportes & Finanzas, MI eclipsed heavyweights from other sports like FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and a host of baseball and basketball teams. The same study ranked MI third in terms of sports team’s Instagram interactions in November, behind FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
“Mumbai Indians’ success on the digital front during this unique IPL season is testament to pioneering stature and following of our club across the globe,” a team spokesperson said.
Bereft of fans, the 2020 edition of the IPL was held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that teams were faced with the daunting task of replicating in-stadia fan engagement on social media. MI came up with conceptualising and launching digital initiatives like ‘Paltan Play,’ ‘MI Live,’ ‘MI Buddy,’ and ‘Virtual Wankhede.’
MI clocked cumulative social media interactions in excess of 317 million across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, making it the most table topped on the social media front. Royal Challengers Bangalore came second with 277.65 interaction, followed by CSK at 189.67 million. The figures recorded by MI show a 60% increase over that witnessed last year, highlighting the importance of campaigns like ‘Paltan Play,’ which provided fans a window into the dressing room, including interactions with skipper Rohit Sharma.
The tournament, which was streamed digitally on Disney+ Hotstar, also witnessed record viewership. MI tapped into the demand for live sport with the ‘MI Live’ show which was broadcast on matchdays. It garnered 8 million views, and drew 750k engagements. The franchise also tested a WhatsApp bot, ‘MI Buddy,’ which exchanged 4 million messages with 200k fans.
The IPL franchise also has the distinction of being the most popular sports team in the world on Facebook for the months of October and November 2020. According to a study by Spanish firm Deportes & Finanzas, MI eclipsed heavyweights from other sports like FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and a host of baseball and basketball teams. The same study ranked MI third in terms of sports team’s Instagram interactions in November, behind FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
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