India’s biggest T20 cricket tournament is in full swing, and the excitement is off the charts. With more than a billion viewers tuning in across TV and streaming platforms, this isn’t just a sporting event—it’s a goldmine for brands looking to engage with a massive, highly engaged audience.
From cafes and restaurants turning match nights into immersive fan zones to D2C brands rolling out geo-targeted match-day offers, businesses are cashing in on the season’s high consumer activity. Banking and financial institutions are also stepping up, launching exclusive payment deals to capture transactions happening around match days. Even the teams themselves are getting smarter about driving revenue—boosting sales of official merchandise and enhancing fan engagement like never before.
One major trend that stands out is the rapid shift in viewership from TV to OTT (over-the-top) streaming platforms. Traditional TV still holds a dominant share, but digital is catching up fast. Last year’s ICC World Cup final saw 122 million viewers on TV—but a staggering 61 million on OTT, setting a new global record for concurrent streaming. Every year, more fans choose the flexibility and convenience of streaming, making it the go-to platform for advertisers looking to target digital-savvy audiences.
What makes OTT platforms particularly valuable is the level of interactivity they offer. Unlike traditional TV ads that rely on visibility alone, digital advertising enables real-time engagement. A viewer watching a match can click on an ad and be redirected instantly to an offer page, a product showcase, or a checkout process. This shift from passive to interactive advertising is a game-changer, allowing brands to precisely target the right audience, optimize their ad spends, and track conversions in real time.
But what if brands didn’t just direct users to a landing page? What if they could keep them engaged in a conversation instead? That’s where digital-native experiences—particularly through rich messaging apps—come in.
Imagine this: A cricket fan watching their favourite team play sees an ad for the latest team jersey. Instead of clicking through to a website, they engage in a chat on WhatsApp or RCS (Google Messages). They can browse the merchandise, ask questions, get AI-powered recommendations, and even complete their purchase—all within the messaging app. No broken user journeys, no unnecessary redirections. Just a seamless, native shopping experience.
Brands are now leveraging messaging platforms to create start-to-finish digital-native experiences that drive higher engagement and conversions. From product discovery to personalized recommendations to checkout, everything happens in-app. This not only makes the process frictionless for users but also ensures they can pick up where they left off if they exit mid-conversation. No abandoned carts, no lost leads—just continuous engagement.
This shift towards digital-native engagement is just the beginning. As multiple channels—browsers, AI assistants, payment gateways, and messaging apps—converge, brands will be able to create even more sophisticated, interwoven journeys that are entirely native to the messaging platform.
For example, a user who engages with a brand’s WhatsApp chatbot for a match-day offer could be seamlessly guided through an AI-powered conversation that understands context, preferences, and past interactions. The AI assistant could suggest not just relevant products but bundled offers, payment options, and even real-time support, all without the user needing to switch apps or re-enter information.
This level of hyper-personalization is what makes conversational commerce so powerful. Instead of generic mass promotions, brands can tailor their outreach based on a user’s behaviour, preferences, and real-time engagement.
With cricket fever at its peak, now is the perfect time for brands to experiment with these digital-native experiences. The combination of OTT advertising, conversational engagement, and AI-driven interactions creates an unparalleled opportunity—not just for visibility but for real, measurable impact.
And the numbers don’t lie. Conversion rates on messaging channels are significantly higher than on websites or apps. Users are more likely to complete an action when they can do so without leaving the app they’re already engaged with.
This trend also aligns with changing consumer behaviour. Younger audiences prefer messaging over traditional communication methods like email or voice calls. They expect fast, intuitive, and interactive experiences, and messaging apps provide exactly that. Meanwhile, millennials—who may still rely on voice and email for certain interactions—are also embracing conversational channels for customer support and transactional queries. The adoption is widespread, making messaging a universal engagement platform across demographics.
We’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how brands interact with consumers. Messaging isn’t just a support channel anymore—it’s becoming the centrepiece of digital engagement, commerce, and customer experience.
The brands that recognize this early will not only boost sales and ROI this T20 season but will also set themselves up for long-term success in an increasingly conversational, AI-driven digital world.
(Views are personal)
