In today’s world of Digital & Social engine platforms, it’s imperative for all global names and brands to connect to their customers/fan base/audiences through the various Online media channels available at their disposal. The same applies to Sports Brands and Leagues as well as a major chunk of interaction between teams/players and the audiences creates brand awareness and strong media presence to grow their stature. So why will the Global Cricket T20 Leagues be left behind?? Cricket being one of the biggest sports in terms of fanbase across the world, T20 Leagues are like the economic linchpin of Modern day Sports leagues across the Globe.
Let’s see how the Global T20 Leagues stand out in terms of their social presence. A point to note is that the data for the Leagues are taken directly from their Twitter and Facebook official profiles and based on the number of the years the league has been operational (the difference in the number when compared to leagues launched in the past 2/3 years will be higher).
Social Media Presence (All-Time to-date) | ||
T20 League Name | Twitter (Current and 2021 Figures) | Facebook (Current and 2021 Figures) |
Indian Premier League (India) | 8.2M (5.7M) | 22.9M (21M) |
Big Bash League (Australia) | 522.1K (399.5K) | 4.3M (2.6M) |
Caribbean Premier League (West Indies) | 302.5K (240.5K) | 5.8M (3.6M) |
Pakistan Super League (Pakistan) | 1.4M (1.1M) | 6.2M (4M) |
Vitality T20 Blast (England) | 135.4K (105.8K) | 1.4M (1.2M) |
Super Smash (New Zealand) | 27.4K (21K) | 53K (24K) |
Everest Premier League (Nepal) | 13K (8.1K) | 105K (43K) |
US Open T20 (USA) | 1.8K (1.5K) | 20K (19K) |
SA20 (South Africa) | 32.2K | 29K |
Bangladesh Premier League (Bangladesh) | N/A | 283K |
It’s absolutely staggering when one looks at the stark difference in numbers on Twitter & Facebook, both on whom IPL has the highest numbers due to the sheer presence and advertisement of the Brand in their 12+ years of existence, but very surprising that other T20 Leagues have not been using Twitter as a growth medium to spread more awareness and grow the fan-base. The brand values for T20 leagues in the sub-continent countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh often take into account their social media numbers and cricket being the most popular sport in the region, the numbers are not at all surprising. The T20 Leagues in the Emerging/Associate countries have great potential for more growth and awareness and little tweaking on their strategies for Social Media presence will go a long way in increasing their popularity factor among the audience and maximize their brand value. The recently launched International League T20 tournament by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has gained much fan-following since it’s beginning.
Social Media/Digital Media platforms like Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Netflix and others are already venturing into the bidding wars for Sports broadcasting rights for various sports around the world including cricket but the number is not on the higher side at the moment. This is surely to increase in the next 2-3 years with Digital Video/OTT (over-the-top) subscriptions growth increasing at an healthier rate in many developed/developing countries.