'Athletic spectacle is key to cricket’s future growth’ - Sanjog Gupta outlines ways to enhance fan experience

The International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO, Sanjog Gupta, emphasised that sustaining and strengthening cricket’s core is essential for the sport’s future, even as efforts continue to expand into new markets. Speaking to ICC Board members on Friday, November 7, Gupta said that the athletic spectacle of the game remains central to the ICC’s long-term vision.

He added that ICC events should be enhanced to provide spectators with a memorable experience. Gupta also highlighted that ICC membership is linked to the breadth of engagement and the ability to commercialise opportunities across diverse audiences.

"At the core of a sporting event's success is the 'athletic spectacle' that it offers - we must continually strive for enhanced context, competition and competitiveness in our events. Our events must be significant cultural experiences - immersive and inclusive - leaving a lasting impact. They need to also be seen as tournaments of prestige for our players, always alluring top players to participate," Gupta said in his address as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"We need to elevate the stature of our events, sustain fandom with always-on experiences and build affiliated communities & engaged sub-groups. Our ability to generate more value for the ICC membership is linked directly to the depth and breadth of engagement that our product portfolio can deliver and our ability to commercialise engagements across multiple consumer touchpoints," he added.

Fan engagement should be on driving seat: Gupta

Gupta emphasised the need to review ICC products with a fit for the future mindset. He also highlighted the importance of continuing to develop enhanced in-person and digital experiences for fans and participants alike.

"It requires re-visiting existing competition formats and exploring new structures, to deliver enhanced value to our existing fans and recruit new ones. We need to collectively push for the elevation of our events because the ripple effects created by a successful event run far beyond the geographic boundaries of the host venues and the participating nations," said Gupta.

"The experiential and engagement economies are booming with most consumer segments increasing spends on 'unmissable moments' and 'immersive experiences'. While on-field athleticism is essential to the delivery of an elevated experience, the entertainment and lifestyle components can't be ignored. Similarly, the live broadcast of our events will continue to be the driver of fan engagement,” he added.

Technology will play a big game: Gupta

Gupta highlighted that the ICC must reassess its economic model as part of efforts to diversify and expand the game. He added that ICC leadership has initiated a strategy reset, a comprehensive framework aimed at defining the sport’s growth blueprint for the next decade, with a focus on balancing sporting integrity, economic sustainability, and a fan-first approach.

"Cricket must strive to diversify, broaden and deepen its economic model. This requires a re-look at how the sport is currently commercialised and how the prevailing economic models need to be bolstered, refreshed or rebuilt. This will have a significant bearing on the models of partnership with our distribution and commercial stakeholders. It could also mean the introduction of a different profile and segment of partners for international Cricket,” said Gupta.

"Technology will play a pivotal role in the growth of the game. From fan engagement to operations, from data analytics to immersive experiences - adoption and deployment of technology need to become part of Cricket's DNA. Cricket must be seen as a sport at the forefront of innovation,” he added.

Transformation will strengthen our future: Gupta

Gupta opened his presentation by emphasising the importance of transformation. He stated that transformational forces would drive the growth of the sport and create significant opportunities. He added that embracing change would foster creativity and collaboration across the ICC.

"We live in a world where transformation is constant, with paradigm shifts in consumption and culture underway. Sport as a microcosm of the world, is also being transformed, at times by design and at times, by disruption. At the center of this rapid evolution happens to be the fan, described in his/her distinct but overlapping expressions of fandom - as a consumer, a viewer, a participant and now even a creator. Today's fan is more unique, less attentive, highly connected and increasingly demanding, but still seeking a sense of identity, belonging and community, perhaps even increasingly so in a world more polarized and diverse than ever before,” said Gupta.

"As custodians of the world's second largest sport - with 2+ billion fans across 100+ countries - the onus is on us to steer these transformational forces into becoming forces of growth for the global game. We must look upon them as sizable opportunities instead of allowing them to become limiting challenges. We must be willing to critique our legacy with an aim to strengthen our future. We must strive to be more creative, collaborative and courageous - the same values our athletes regularly demonstrate on field,” he added.