ESPN sees record-breaking UK traffic
April 29, 2014
ESPN enjoyed a record-breaking March in the UK boosted by the ICC Twenty20 World Cup and Asia Cup competitions – and an enthralling March Madness tournament on ESPN Player.
According to data from independent research firm ComScore, cricket fans spent more time on ESPNcricinfo than the next nine major sites combined, and on average 14 times longer than BBC Sport Cricket. ESPNcricinfo’s total minutes increased by 226 per cent compared to 2013.
Visits to the world’s leading cricket website were up 68 per cent year-on-year, and there were 44 per cent [6,658,000] more UK site visits than to BBC Sport Cricket [4,617,000].
Meanwhile, ESPN Player, the on-demand streaming service, also enjoyed a successful March, thanks mainly to a highly unpredictable NCAA March Madness tournament. Subscriptions were up by 34 per cent throughout the month, marked by annual pass subscriptions growing by 88 per cent and monthly pass subscriptions increasing by 20 per cent.
Sports fans were also more engaged with ESPN Player content, with an 84 per cent growth in total minutes and a 40 per cent increase in page views. Unique users on desktop and tablet increased by 36 per cent over the same period, with tablet use showing particular growth.