Espncricinfo Logged 1.8 Billion Page Views

The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup captured the globe by storm over the past six weeks, as India went on to win the title coveted by countries from around the world.  Fans didn’t miss a beat, consuming more content from ESPNcricinfo online and on mobile devices han ever before, shattering all previous records logged by the world’s leading cricket website.  At its peak during the India v Pakistan semi-final match on March 30, ESPNcricinfo’s share of ESPN’s total global audience was 36.1% online and 63.6% on the mobile Web – the most of any other ESPN digital platform that day.

Fans on the go during the World Cup final were never far from the latest news and results of the India v Sri Lanka final.  In fact, the ESPNcricinfo mobile Web site alone recorded more than 45 million page views, accounting for 45% of all page views logged on Saturday, April 2 – the most of any other ESPN digital platform covering cricket that day.  It also set one-day records on March 30, logging more than 1.9 million visitors and 52.4 million page views, up 2,166% compared to the daily average for all of 2010, a record year for the site.

ESPNcricinfo coverage of the World Cup across all digital platforms generated an average minute audience of 72,000 people globally through the entire tournament (43 days total from February 19 through April 2).  That means an average of 72,000 people went to ESPNcricinfo.com, the ESPNcricinfo mobile Web, the ESPNcricinfo app for iPhone and Android devices or the Cricket section on the ESPN ScoreCenter app at any given minute of the day during the tournament.  Additionally, during that same time period, ESPNcricinfo across all digital platforms logged 1.8 billion page views and 4.43 billion total minutes.

As the World Cup progressed round-by-round, ESPNcricinfo continued to beat its one-day average audience records, setting its highest on March 30 with an average minute audience of 242,265 people globally.  On that same day, ESPNcricinfo digital platforms registered 133 million page views (up 31% compared to the previous high) and 349 million total minutes of time spent.

The Indian subcontinent generated the most mobile Web usage during the World Cup compared to all other major markets, logging more than 377.3 million page views and 807.2 million total minutes of time spent consuming content from their mobile devices.  Additionally, the free to download ESPNcricinfo app for iPhone and Android devices was a top sports app in all major cricket markets.  Both apps collectively generated 191 million page views and 342 million minutes through the entire tournament.

Tom Gleeson, vice president, digital media, ESPN International, said: “We’re thrilled that fans from around the globe chose ESPNcricinfo as their digital source for news and content during the Cricket World Cup.  The tournament has truly turned into a worldwide event, and we will continue to deliver quality content that fans come to expect from ESPNcricinfo yearround across all digital platforms.”

ESPNcricinfo.com: The site reached its highest record average minute audience of 153,098 on March 30.  It also set new one-day records with nearly 6.5 million unique visitors and 220.5 million total minutes that day.

Prior to the World Cup, ESPNcricinfo.com generated steady growth, recording new monthly record audiences for four straight months beginning in October, boosted by interest in the Ashes and the test series between South Africa and India.  Its latest monthly record was logged in February that included the start of the World Cup, when the site had 11.9 million unique visitors, up 98% compared to the same month last year, and 1.2 million total minutes of time spent.  The month was also a milestone in the U.S., cracking the one million mark for the first time ever with 1.03 million unique visitors.

Coordinated coverage in the U.S. also featured ESPN.com senior writer Wright Thompson’s OTL-branded piece titled “Why You Should Care About Cricket,” a compelling story that has already captured nearly one million page views.

ESPNcricinfo Fantasy: The Fantasy section on ESPNcricinfo.com featuring Cricket Pick ‘Em and World Cup Salary-Cap accumulated 71.5 million page views since the start of the tournament, making it the third most popular section on the site behind the World Cup index page and homepage.  India contributed the most to page view traffic to the World Cup Salary-Cap game, representing 39% of the total, followed by the U.S. (24%) and the U.K. (13%).  Additionally, 20% of entries to the Cricket Pick ‘Em game were submitted through mobile devices.

ESPN Player: ESPN International’s European broadband service streamed all World Cup matches live to fans in more than 35 countries across Europe.