(7 March 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: With the cricket World Cup scheduled to kick off in less than week's time new media interactive firm Intvo is looking to change the way people use their mobiles as far as the game is concerned.

The firm has launched its three applications - CricCast, Cric Playalong and Sports Guru. All the applications will have score posting features and the users can create their own cricket leagues (country leagues, city leagues, college leagues, company leagues, etc.).

Cric Playalong allows users to play along as a match is progressing. One can play along with a live match or a recorded match. Points are given depending on how one is doing vi-a-vis the actual player. The game is in a simulated animation form. One can chose the match and then the team one wants to play for. So if a user scores four runs in a ball while the player in the actual match gets out or scores less then one gets points. One can also be a bowler and choose where to pitch a delivery and the kind of ball to be bowled.

Cric Playalong allows users to play along as a match is progressing. One can play along with a live match or a recorded match. Points are given depending on how one is doing vi-a-vis the actual player. The game is in a simulated animation form. One can chose the match and then the team one wants to play for. So if a user scores four runs in a ball while the player in the actual match gets out or scores less then one gets points. One can also be a bowler and choose where to pitch a delivery and the kind of ball to be bowled.

Intvo has tied up with the service providers Airtel, Idea Cellular, Yahoo, IndiaTimes to make this service available for mobile users in animated form. Intvo will make the interactive applications available in Europe and USA too, through various carrier and media partners.The services will be available from 12 March 2007.

The CricCast application allows one to view a live match or highlights in animation form. This the firm says is particularly useful for people on the go. Mobile users in India can download the CricCast application from Wap portals of Airtellive, Idea, India Times and Yahoo Mobile. They can also download from the web portals of Ideafresh, Yahoo and India times. Cric Playalong can be downloaded from Airtellive, Ideaftesh and India Times.

Intvo is also launching their blogging application, Mojo Blog. This enables the users to blog on matches and other events from their mobile phones or from their computers. This application is currently available firom Intvo's Wap site and website for free.

Intvo Founder and CEO Kishan Bulusu said, " We are expecting 20-30,000 users to avail of this product in India. The cost depends on the service provider. Airtel for instnace is charging Rs. 50 for the World Cup. The animation settings are on an average 90 per cent accurate compared to the real game. Our aim is to create. a new interactive entertainment experience for the consumer that will let them interact with the sports and other entertainment they like in ways which have not been possible until now.

"We have developed the interactive, patent pending Interactering platform and technologies to provide the interactive experience to the users and is working towards providing. Currently our interactive applications are available for GPRS users and we are extending the experience to SMS. We are planning to extend the same experience to the web and other platforms down the road".

Bulusu says that the cricket applications also alow for advertising during the game. The firm is in the process of signing deals in this regard. The firm is also looking at taking the interactive concept to television shows like reality shows and soaps. It is also looking at making the simulation of other sports like soccer, golf, tennis available.

In the past lntvo piloted Soccercast, Soccer Playalong and Soccer Prediction applications in the Chinese market, localised for Chinese language, with China Mobile for last year's Soccer World. Plans are.under way to introduce soccer in China, Europe and the US.