Delhi: Leading Indian Premier League (IPL) Franchise, the Delhi Capitals have chosen to boost their digital media returns through a new agreement with Horizm, the providers of digital inventory management.
With a star-studded squad, that was recently bolstered by the addition of Australian batsman Steve Smith, the Capitals will look to add to on-field success, by improving the commercial development of the franchise through the partnership with Horizm.
Under this new agreement, Delhi Capitals will use Horizm’s AI-powered, real-time solution to better understand, value and monetize a social media audience, which totals over 11m across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube. During the 2020 IPL, the team registered the highest number of video views (370 million) across Facebook & Instagram globally for the months of September-October. Delhi Capitals’ growth in increasing its digital fan base (by 32%) on Facebook, was also the highest among all teams.
Horizm provide sports’ rights holders with a real time, “digital-first” solution to monetize their digital inventory. Delhi Capitals is the first IPL franchise to sign up with Horizm, joining elite football clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea, and other leading global sports properties such as Tennis Australia, the International Hockey Federation and the Caribbean Premier League.
Commenting on the agreement, Vinod Bisht, Director & CEO, Delhi Capitals said: “At Delhi Capitals, we believe in the ‘Fans First’ policy, and digital platforms are crucial for us to engage with them throughout the year. The need for remote engagement was accentuated during the pandemic, when fans were restricted to their homes. I believe our association with Horizm will empower us with tools to not only reach out to our fans better, but also unlock several commercial opportunities.”
Sam Grimley, Head of Sales, Horizm added: “It’s a huge privilege to welcome the Delhi Capitals to the Horizm family – undoubtedly one of the most exciting franchises in the IPL, both on and off the field. We look forward to working with Team DC and help maximise the returns on their growing digital footprint”
The growth of the IPL over the past 13 seasons has been remarkable, with the T20 cricket tournament now one of a select few international sports leagues able to boast a social media audience in excess of 100m followers, as highlighted in The 100m Club, a recent Horizm report which looked at the global reach of sports leagues on social media’s big 4 – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
