Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's largest cricket league, on Thursday licensed the exclusive rights for its transmission over various mobile platforms across the world.
This move will curtail a revenue stream for the telecom companies, which were offering IPL updates to their customers for a fee.
Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner of IPL said the league has partnered with Gurgaon-based vRock Mobile Communications (vRock Mobile) for taking the events and news related to the third edition of IPL to mobile subscribers.
"We did not find the technology earlier, so, we could not licence the same," Modi added.
IPL matches are also available on Google and YouTube, the world's largest online videosharing site.
vRock Mobile acquired the sole and exclusive worldwide rights for transmitting the live and lag information relating to IPL through mobile-based mediums, such as SMS, MMS and IVR over various mobile platforms like CDMA, GSM, GPRS, MMS, WAP, EDGE, 2G and 3G, among others.
As expected, telecom operators are not too happy with the
development. "We are finding it quite a challenge to convince the mobile operators to shift to the new mode," Jatin Ahluwalia, chief executive officer (CEO), vRock Mobile said.
On the pricing of the service, Ahluwalia said, "The mobile operators were charging Rs 5 per day for providing updates on the first two editions of IPL. Our charges may hover around the
same level for the customer."Modi described the initiative as yet another means of reaching out to the wider audience.
"There is no need for IPL fans to sit in front of the television to get updates or watch live anymore.
He can do it when he is on the move as well," Modi said.
However, the amount of money that telecom companies have been making from providing IPL updates to subscribers is unclear and even equity analysts are not in a position to put a figure to it.
Modi said beginning this season IPL matches can be enjoyed from the UK, too. " We have licensed ITV in the UK, which has 99 per cent reach. This is available under the free- to- air format in that country," he said. The league matches, which can be seen in all developed countries, were not available to viewers in the UK due to the lack of a licensee postcollapse of Setanta last year.
Scoring big on business:
* The IPL matches can be seen from UK beginning this season with a licence being given to ITV in the UK
* The league matches can already be seen in all other developed countries like US
* Sony is the exclusive rights holder for broadcasting of IPL, and all other channels have to buy feeds from Sony
* IPL has signed MAXX Group, a leading provider of mobile phones and accessories, as one of the lead sponsors for the next three seasons
Friday, March 5, 2010
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