DMS – the digital arm of Choueiri Group – recently announced its latest appointment as the Exclusive Media Representative for “ESPN Sports Media Ltd.” – the owner of both ESPN.com and ESPNCricinfo.com – for the Middle East and North Africa.
ESPN is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment entity, featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. While ESPN.com and its corresponding App represent ESPN’s multisport focus, ESPNCricinfo.com and App serve as the world’s leading digital cricket brand.
Cricket today is the second most watched sport in the world – with 2.5 billion fans globally – and the second most watched sport in the UAE, with almost half of the UAE population (49%) estimated to be cricket fans and 1.3 million UAE residents regularly playing the sport. This huge fan base is skewed heavily towards Asian expat males from India and Pakistan – a “digital first” demographic known to utilize the internet and social media to follow sports; representing a distinct audience for brands to target.
ESPNCricinfo.com is distinguished for being the most visited sports website in the UAE, with the highest page and visit duration figures, attracting over 5 million visitors from the GCC during the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
The dedicated cricket portal provides cricket fans with live ball-by-ball coverage of all international cricket matches, news and features written by some of the world’s best cricket writers, and in-depth statistics for every first class and international match ever played. ESPNCricinfo.com and its App allows fans to keep up to date while on the go, in the office or via a second screen experience.
Speaking about the partnership, Martin Healy, Commercial Director at ESPN, said “We are excited about the next phase of growth and development for ESPN in the region, and especially ESPNCricinfo. This strategic partnership between the worldwide leader in sports, and such a pillar of the local media landscape, shows our commitment to the region, and our desire to connect brands with our engaged, loyal, sports-fanatic audience through world class content and media solutions.”
DMS’ Chief Operating Officer, Michel Malkoun also stated that “With ESPN joining the DMS family of market-leading digital platforms, we greatly look forward to furthering the audience engagement goals of our brand partners around the region. With ample, innovative and highly effective advertising opportunities in store, we are confident that clients will find Cricinfo.com to be the ultimate gateway for reaching out to and connecting with the vast south-east Asian expat population in the UAE and GCC.”
