| MUMBAI:
Singapore-based venture capitalist Sigma Venture has acquired the global mobile
application rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) on an exclusive basis.
The deal with
Global Cricket Ventures, the exclusive global mobile rights holder for the IPL,
is for eight years, including the 2017 IPL season. Sigma
Ventures has acquired these rights jointly with their technology partner Chennai-based
DCI Mobile Studios, a division of Dot Com Infoway Limited (DCI), India.
The
deal will enable Sigma and DCI to offer mobile application technology branded
the “Official IPL Mobile Application” for use on smartphones such as
the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry and those based on the Android platform. The
applications (or “apps”) will be available from application stores such
as the iTunes Store and the Android Marketplace. The mobile apps will cover a
wide range of features, including real-time ball-by-ball video clips from IPL
matches, replays, highlights, live scores, news and commentary, and images. The
apps will be available for download from the app stores on a paid subscription
basis, and will include in-app advertising. IPL
chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi says, ”Mobile applications are one of
the biggest developments in the mobile space, and the IPL is delighted to partner
with Sigma and DCI to make the Official IPL Mobile Applications available to more
people across multiple platforms. I believe that these innovative apps will significantly
enrich the user experience for the global cricket fan by providing a direct window
to the on-field action through generation next technologies.” Sigma
Ventures chairman SG Srinivasan says, “The IPL is undoubtedly the world’s
hottest sports league offering exciting, multifaceted new investment opportunities.
With the explosive growth of the mobile application marketplace, combined with
an increasing demand from sports fans globally for real-time video content, we
believe that video-powered mobile applications present a fertile growth opportunity. | 
