(6 March 2010 7:30 pm)

MUMBAI: In a bid to leverage new media, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its licensing partner Global Cricket Ventures (GCV) have announced a partnership with mobile internet company July Systems to launch an IPL mobile internet service, specifically designed for the Indian market.

Almost every Indian with an internet enabled mobile phone, across income groups, educational backgrounds, handset types or networks, will for the first time have access to live ball-by-ball video updates, action replays, video score cards and much more. Users can access this service from their mobile phone by calling the MiX toll-free number 08 123 123 123 or by accessing m.iplt20.com.

July Systems already works with several Indian media companies including NDTV Profit, NDTV Cricket, IBNLive, Moneycontrol, HT Media’s Mint – an exclusive partner of the Wall Street Journal, and Zoom. In the US it works with CBS Sports, Vh1, Fox Entertainment Group – Fox Mobile, Fox.com, Fox Reality, FX, Speed, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NBA, Nascar, PGA Tour, Golf.com, Indy Racing League, NBC Sports, Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure Magazine, Lifetime Network.

IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi says, “The IPL is the first sports league in the world to roll out a mass market, mobile internet service of this type and scale. We are pleased to partner with July Systems –pioneers in mobile internet technology, as they have the operational experience of working with the world’s leading broadcasters, sports leagues and advertisers. I am certain IPL fans here in India will enjoy this real-time user interface now available on their very own mobile phones.”

GCV director Vijay Srinivasan says, “This is an excellent initiative, which will help deliver the IPL real-time to cricket fans in the home market. The Indian market is absolutely key to the momentum of this exciting tournament, and GCV is very pleased to be partnering with July Systems which it believes will be instrumental in taking the viewing experience to the next level.”

July Systems is looking to bring content from other sporting leagues to India on the mobile. "The key is to get a string response for the IPL content. The service has been designed for the common man who may not have accessed the internet ever before. The consumers may not be aware of typing out URLs or navigating pages in a browser. A simple phone call is all that is required to get started," says Reddy.

For revenue the company is using the Freemium model. This is a combination of free and premium content-based pricing that aims to makes the service affordable to all users. A significant part of the IPL service including video content has been provided for free - subsidised by advertising. The company is looking for 10 commercial partners. Interestingly each time one makes a call and starts a session, branding of just one advertiser will appear. This will automatically cut out the clutter. Certain premium sections like real time view are available at a nominal fee.

During the television broadcast of the IPL, the phone number 08123123123 will be displayed on the TV screens. The IPL service is initiated by calling this simple toll free phone number, which results in a SMS being sent to the user, with the link to the IPL mobile internet service. Users click on this link to watch real-time IPL videos on their mobile phone. July Systems is also working with the telecom operators to provide inexpensive ‘all you can eat’ data access plans, Reddy adds.