‘We enjoy ourselves most when there are tournaments going on’
Jago News recently talked with Bangladesh cricket star and also Viber goodwill ambassador Shahriar Nafees and its director David Tse.
Shahriar Nafees said digital technology has enabled the fans to discover newer aspects of entertainment from the game which were unavailable even a couple of decades back.
He also said that, I think the fans are getting to enjoy the matches a lot more than they would previously, now that we have social media like Viber.
On the other hand, Viber director David Tse said, Viber believes in sustaining through innovation and adaptation. We realized that a large portion of our existing users had increased their virtual communications due to staying locked at homes.
He also said, we recently launched the Cricket bot and Cricket Talks Viber Community, which became an instant hit among the cricket-loving users.
Here is the full talk:
Jago News: What challenges and opportunities have the pandemic brought in your lives and for most cricket players?
Shahrier Nafees: Sportsmen like us always need to be on the momentum. We enjoy ourselves most when there are tournaments going on, and we are getting enough opportunities to play, watch and discuss matches. Since it has all become rather distant for us for the time being, keeping our motivations high is seemingly becoming tougher. But on the better side, players now have a lot of time to work on their fitness. I have seen some players increase their gym times, and I think that is a great move. Plus, we now have the chance to take a look back at our old matches to analyze even the tiniest areas of weaknesses. We are also now able to give our families more time, which is another good side of our time off the pitch.
Jago News: Pandemic seems to have affected every industry across the world. How did it affect Viber, and what opportunities might it have created for you and the industry?
David Tse: Viber believes in sustaining through innovation and adaptation. We realized that a large portion of our existing users had increased their virtual communications due to staying locked at homes. We reviewed our strategies and accelerated product development so that we can match the altering rhythms. Many new features, including smart bots, have been successful in engaging our users for better traction. For one, we recently launched the Cricket bot and Cricket Talks Viber Community, which became an instant hit among the cricket-loving users. This way, we are exploring our opportunities to enhance the Viber users’ experience.
Jago News: We have seen Viber to come up with various bots and communities related to cricket. What encouraged Viber to initiate such features?
David Tse: The Cricket bot has been exclusively designed for those who are immensely passionate about the game of 22-yards. Viber users from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka can enjoy the feature with match predictions, comments, and much more! Plus, the Cricket Bot also brings the fans closer to their favorite star cricketers, as former players like Habibul Bashar and Shahriar Nafees join the platform with their own expert opinions. Unfortunately, the match has been postponed but we have communities to give entertainment to the cricket loving fans where they can see funny, attractive entertainment-based conversation, post etc.
Jago News: What new mileage do you think fans are getting to enjoy from the game of cricket with today’s enhanced digital communication methods?
Shahrier Nafees: Digital technology has enabled the fans to discover newer aspects of entertainment from the game which were unavailable even a couple of decades back. Community-based match-predictions, integrated analysis of game data, and many more critical aspects have emerged through digital communication methods. Then there are also the memes and such lite and fun ways to spread the laughter. Overall, I think the fans are getting to enjoy the matches a lot more than they would previously, now that we have social media like Viber. Even if matches are being cancelled due to covid wave but still the sports fan can carry out the hype with the Viber community.
Jago News: Viber has created similar bots like ‘Battle of Cricket’ before. What kind of response did Viber receive from its users and fans of the sports?
David Tse: Viber users have embraced the features like ‘Battle of Cricket’ with sheer excitement! We have been receiving very positive feedback from the users. They are very enthusiastic and competitive, with the bots to rank first in the global or regional leaderboard. Although the recent surge of COVID-19 has postponed many of the matches again, fans and users are still very much excited about the new features. It is evident in the Viber communities how engrossed the cricket fans are with the bot and community engagements and are counting days till the matches begin once again.
Jago News: Do you think initiatives like ‘Battle of Cricket’ or FC Barcelona Community by Viber have the power to bring changes to fans’ interaction with their favorite sports or teams?
Shahrier Nafees: Yes, definitely. The celebration or interaction of fans can be influenced by many factors as we have seen in the past. Our target shall always be to keep the spirit positive.
Jago News: Viber is an official partner of FC Barcelona, allowing the platform to reward winning fans with official merchandise. Do you have any plans on partnering with any other teams of different sports like cricket?
David Tse: We are looking at further exploring partnerships and initiatives like this as we can see the high engagement and demand from our users.
Jago News: COVID-19 has been boosting digitalization, and digital technology is unlocking unprecedented opportunities for nearly all industries. How do you think innovative technology and digitalization can transform the sports industry, especially cricket?
Shahrier Nafees: Since fans and players are now mostly unable to display their skills on the field, newer methods of fan interaction will eventually continue to come out, as Viber experimented with its designated bots. The advantage here is that once the technological features become popular among the fans, the streaks might continue even after we get back to the regular lives. And that is how, I think, digital integration is going to transform the sports industry with more and more entertaining and inclusive prospects.
Jago News: Do you think it will be easier for the sports industry to accommodate innovative technology and digitalization, especially the cricket sector of Bangladesh?
Shahrier Nafees: The industry personnel, as well as the fans and followers, require enough time to familiarize themselves with the changing technologies. But now we are emphasizing rapid digitalization as a nation, and so I think the cricket sector of Bangladesh, as well as Nepal and Sri Lanka, could reap a significant lot from this change if we show a welcoming approach.
Jago News: How do you think the pandemic will change the cricket industry globally, including Bangladesh?
Shahrier Nafees: The pandemic will have definitely reminded our players how important it is to make the most of their time in the fields. Also, now they realize the necessity to stay fit more than ever. Organizers might also recalculate their scopes for arranging better tournaments next time when everything is normal.
Jago News: How do you think the post-COVID era will be like for the instant messaging industry, and how do Viber plan to add more value to people’s lives?
David Tse: The post-COVID era will have redefined characteristics of our total digital communication systems. As a leading social platform, Viber opts to stay ahead in this journey of transformation. Viber promises to shift into becoming a meta app - a lifestyle solution that provides its users much more than calls and messaging. We have features currently under development that would massively improve the quality of life for our users. Fintech integration, e-wallets, e-banking, and various other e-commerce features will soon ensure an amplified user experience in the post-pandemic world.
