HT Exclusive: British media entrepreneur to bring more ‘visibility to cricket in America’

Staying ahead means constantly innovating and finding new ways to engage fans. As a game deeply loved and followed by millions, cricket’s heartbeat lies in its fans.

Recognizing this, CricFan is revolutionizing the cricket experience with a fans-first approach that goes beyond just scores and news. HindustanTimes.com sat down with London-based media entrepreneur Marc Hayward to discuss their ambitious plans to spread their spectrum to the United States after conquering India-cricket engagement through their new platform, CricWin.

Hayward, the owner of CricFan, aims to create an active association of cricket lovers, placing the website as the online hub as well as the production house of the United States’ surging fan content. To Hayward cricket is not solely about numbers; fans are engaged in the construction of cricket’s story passionately.

Notably, the US saw a surge in cricket fans following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Notably, the apps that CricFan has incubated three interesting TV shows — fans, Cricket Chirps and Queens of Cricket — the last one, a celebration of increased interest in women’s cricket, but what about the voice of the fans?

ALSO READ| ‘Cricket-just like Baseball, only cooler,’ gentleman’s game bonds Indian-American fans in Long Island

Marc Hayward sees bright ‘future of women’s cricket in the United States’

Hayward, after Mumbai and Delhi, now eyeing New York City, stated, “I think I would say one of the challenges behind the stories that we faced was not very challenging as we got there but, India is a very big place, and Mumbai seems to be home to a lot of big media outlets like Jiocinema, Starsports, Sonysports, and so on and so forth. But not only the big networks like these, but it is also home to a lot of content creators and production companies. There are a lot of opportunities to create content in Mumbai, but the facilities, I think, were a bit of a struggle.”

The London native noted that women’s cricketers inspire him, saying, “The women on Queens of Cricket were like sisters, and even when we would change the face of Queens of Cricket if some of the girls had other bookings, which was rare, they were very opento introducing new people into the group. So yeah, a very big family, I would say the Queens of Cricket team are.”

“The growth of women’s cricket in the US is truly inspiring. It’s incredible to see the dedication, talent, and passion of these athletes as they elevate the sport to new heights. Their hard work is paving the way for future generations and bringing more visibility to cricket in America. The team’s progress is a testament to the potential and bright future of women’s cricket in the United States,” Hayward lauded women’s cricket in US, and how he is staging his podium to tap the market across the Atlantic.

ALSO READ| HT Exclusive: Indian-American entrepreneur says, ‘Sam launching ChatGPT is like Steve launching the iPhone’

Hayward is eyeing to tap the untapped cricket market in US

When asked, “With the World Cup taking place in the USA and the rise of cricket there, what are your plans to expand in the USA?”

“I think the US market is definitely in its infancy. It is very interesting and great for cricket in general. Our predominant focus is our journey. I think it’s fantastic for cricket that this is an American franchise now. Cricket seems to be, hopefully, spreading and will be accepted as a college sport. That will really help and give the sport the foundation it needs to grow as much as the NBA, NFL, etc., in America,” he expressed.

While addressing the fact the IPL could be a big game changer for the US cricket scene, the Cricfan boss cautioned, “But for us right now, we need to continue focusing on building our foundation strong in India and then eventually look to do more projects in the USA that feed back into India. We have been approached by platforms in the US that are looking for formats which we produce in India which I have said before I think it’s a really good sign that the world is changing.”

“Now India is fast becoming very well recognized in the world of not just sport, but obviously entertainment as well. Films would predominantly would come out of Hollywood, even though Bollywood is a very established film industry. It’s nice to see TV formats now being developed in India going out to the US rather than the other way around.

ALSO READ| Internet is going spiral with H-1b memes after USA cricket team beats Pakistan at T20 World Cup

So, things are moving, and I do think it’s going to be an exciting time for India as a whole over the next 5-10 years. And we’re happy to be a part of that movement.”

More in the interview, Hayward shared how he is planning to tap the cricket market in Biden’s land: “We’ve only recently launched CricWin. The response has been fantastic. There’s a lot of conversation across all the different territories in India across social media,” and are hoping to say the same for the US.