Current spopnsor’s of national cricket team – Star India – has bagged digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 from the Times Internet which is a subsidiary of Times of India group.
Star India group has licensed live and on-demand rights to the seventh edition of the Twenty20 cricket tournament. It will be permitted to make coverage available on the Star Sports website and on mobile devices as well.
The coverage will be promoted by both Times and Star group parties but Star, which is also an IPL sponsor, will take sole responsibility for advertising and monetisation.
CEO of the Star India, Sanjay Gupta, said: “At a time when more and more fans are following sports across multiple screens, our aim is to deliver an experience for them that is even better than what is on television. This partnership signals our continuing efforts to transform sports and the digital experience. We want to make IPL the world’s largest sporting event on a digital platform this year.”
Meanwhile, Times Internet chief executive Satyan Gajwani responded to the deal saying: “We have been offering our users IPL for three years, and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognized as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with Star will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices.”
Detail schedule of IPL 2014 is yet to be confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), due to security plans affected by the upcoming Indian general elections.
Hence, many countries like UAE, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Bangaldesh are presented as alternative venues for the competition which is scheduled to begin in April.
