Exclusive | Mobile space more challenging than web: ESPNcricinfo's Sambit Bal

ESPNcricinfo, the world’s largest single sport website, was founded in 1993 with a simple objective: to deliver cricket scores and updates to passionate fans of the sport. Led by Dr. Simon King and a group of like-minded volunteers, the original Cricinfo was one of the pioneers of a community-driven online enterprise at a time when websites were unheard of. With its path breaking technology coupled with teamwork, the website grew to become a game changer in cricket reporting. With ESPN acquiring Cricinfo in 2007, the legacy of the brand and its editorial values have propelled it to a position of pre-eminence.

ESPNcricinfo’s popularity has grown exponentially as it pioneered path-breaking technology behind live scoring of matches and ball-by-ball commentary, while simultaneously developing one of the most credible and comprehensive sports journalism platforms to deliver award-winning news, commentary and analysis from many of the world’s top cricket writers, reporters and editors. Today, ESPNcricinfo is not merely the world’s most-preferred destination for news and information on cricket, but also the game’s leading global voice.

For a better understanding of ESPNcricinfo’s journey and it’s phenomenal growth over the last two decades, Adgully caught up with Sambit Bal, Editor-in-chief, ESPNcricinfo recently. Excerpts:

The evolution of internet

Cricinfo was conceived when internet usage was still nascent. Internet was conceived to connect people through emails, chat etc. to enable information and data exchange. But there has been a sea change. In the years since those early days, the internet has become a primary destination for information – for reading, watching, listening and consuming all kind of content. It is a home for the traditional text, as well as video and audio (both music and talk content such as podcasts and more). And it is becoming an even more social medium. It has always been social – when ESPNcricinfo began, there were elements of very rudimental social media already at work – but is exponentially more so now.  It is an extremely versatile medium. In some countries, for example the US, internet has even become a regular destination for watching drama, news and sports content.

The importance of digital media

The Internet has already changed the paradigm of media. It has fundamentally changed the print medium and in many cases overtaken it in the daily lives of consumers. However, one thing we have seen is that it is not necessarily cannibalistic.  Using digital media more, does not always mean you use other media less.  It is not zero sum.  In many cases, we know that people that use digital media more are using the same or more amount of other media also.  Digital has created new windows of opportunity for people to consume and connect with media – times and places that they could not engage with media in the past.

This presents great opportunity.  For ESPNcricinfo, video promises to be a important and significant opportunity and we are leveraging it to produce the best content for our readers.

The challenges

In the internet space we need to find our own challenges. Since ESPNcricinfo started at a time when there was no precedence, we had to create our own path. The biggest challenge was to see ourselves as a traditional media consumption destination, which used all kinds of technology to disseminate information to our readers. The challenge was also to keep the pace up with changing technology while also keeping up the standards and quality of our journalism.

Mobile is a great example of how that has manifested.  Previously we generated content only for the website.  But with more people using mobile devices like feature phones, smartphones and tablets, we have had to think about how you deliver the relevant, wanted content for the consumers on the go. Mobile is driving huge growth over the past 5 years.  For us, the mobile web launched first, apps came later. But we are continuing to work hard every day to deliver the quality content people know us for, and do it in a way that makes for the best fan experience on the device they are using.  Ultimately, it is about delivering quality content to the best available screen that consumer is using.

Authenticity of content

At ESPNcricinfo we have a unique position in the industry, driven first by our quality and authenticity. We have to be authentic with our content because people rely on us.

ESPNcricinfo’s USP

We are unique in terms of the fact that we have created different types of content for our readers. While most of the leading print media houses run websites as an extension to their print publications, ESPNcricinfo has developed its brand digitally and have grown from there. And we will continue to grow from there. In India, ESPNcricinfo is the number one digital sports destinations and the top cricket brand, leading all competitors in unique audience, total time spent, visits, page views and average minutes per visitor. It has an average minute audience that is nearly double its nearest competitor – meaning that during any average minute of a month nearly twice as many fans are on ESPNcricinfo than any other sports destination. That is because we have invested in content, technology and quality for a long time.

How the numbers add up

On an average, the site has an around 12 million unique visitors globally on mobile platforms per month and 23.2 million video watches. We recently marked four consecutive months of record-breaking video traffic on the site. ESPNcricinfo’s mobile web site reaches more Indian fans on smartphones than any other sports site. It is the top sports site among Indian smartphone users in age groups of less than 24-years-old, 25-35 years and 35+. The increase in the mobile and internet usage has resulted in greater engagement with content on devices. The average time spent by a “smartphone” fan on ESPNcricinfo has seen significant increase.

On competition

ESPNcricinfo is the leader in covering the sport of cricket – both in India, in all the major cricketing markets and globally. But to retain this elite position, we have to keep challenging ourselves to stay ahead of others. We have to be aware of the hazards of technology -- things built from technology are often replicable and can affect our credibility. Our commitment to creating authentic content is what makes ESPNcricinfo the most credible voice covering cricket worldwide. We offer global coverage and analysis without compromising our journalistic standards.

Rapport with cricketers

ESPNcricinfo shares excellent rapport and relationship with most of the cricketers around the world. We have worked hard at being both fair and trusted, and that has allowed for these relationships to build over time. We do not pull punches when critical reporting or analysis is required, but we always make efforts to be fair, thorough and professional.

The versatile nature of cricket lends itself to good quality writing. Some players are regular contributors to the website, offering in-depth analysis and understanding of the game. A lot of cricketers not only refer to our website for quality and exhaustive information on the game but they check in to see how they are faring at the game.

The way ahead

Ours is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. In countries like the UK, America and elswhere, newspapers are struggling as the internet has become a transcendent location for news, information and content. In India the digital consumption (and advertising) market is still young and growing but we are sure about the fact that it will get bigger in the coming years.

We’re very excited about the next two decades ahead of us -- the emergence of mobile and social media that allows us to engage with cricket fans in so many new ways and locations and the continued and growing passion for cricket that we see from fans around the world. Leveraging video is a huge potential for us and will be our focus in the coming years. The goal is to keep on improving and constantly make your game bigger.

With 20 years of heritage, ESPNcricinfo is the world's leading digital cricket brand and is among the top five most-visited single-sport digital brands in the world. Part of ESPN’s leading global collection of sites since 2007, ESPNcricinfo is committed to delivering an independent voice for comprehensive coverage of the sport and is available to cricket fans online and across mobile platforms.