Meta Collaborates With Star Sports & Online Creators For IPL Themed Content

Tech behemoth Meta have been collaborating with Star Sports and online content creators in creating cricket-themed fan activations for the ongoing IPL season. 

Meta has heightened the fan experience by teaming up with over 250 content creators for the current IPL season by creating more conversations around the sizzling T20 action. It also includes working alongside IPL franchises such as Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). 

The social media campaign—which runs on Instagram and Threads—targets  younger audiences. 

‘Ask Star’ is another initiative that allows IPL fans to ask questions to the Star Sports commentary team live during matches. Questions are submitted on Threads and gives fans a chance to gain better insights into the matches. 

Another Star Sports fan interactive experience is the ‘Ajab Gajab T20 Challenge’ which see’s former cricket players and content creators enter a box cricket competition, broadcast on the platform and on Instagram Reels. 

Content creators Naveen Singh and Deepika Venkatachalam have also been roped in to promote and curate IPL themed fan engagement content.

Paras Sharma, Director, Content and Community Partnerships of Meta, India, said, “The current cricket fever is all about intense rivalries, passionate involvement and strong fan following. With platforms like Threads that enable fans and experts to voice their opinions and Instagram that allows fans and athletes to share moments and create unique content related to the games, we are dedicated to heighten this excitement through our partnerships and collaborations with creators from all over India. We’re thankful to our partners like Star Sports as well, to join in this journey.”

According to ASN data, Meta has been rather muted in much of the Asian sponsorship market since Q122, having withdrawn from a trio of deals from the likes of South Korean baseball team Doosan Bears, ONE Championship and Super Fight League. However, the social media giant has been active in the cricket scene, collaborating with last year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, and its play in the IPL is clearly an intent to delve deeper into backing the sport in the region.