(29 October 2008 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Global Cricket Ventures (GCV), a joint venture between Live Current Media and NetlinkBlue, has reached an agreement to build, manage and monetise the official website of the Champions League Twenty20 for a period of 10 years.

The site will feature video highlights, a live video scoreboard, mobile content as well as official photographs, press releases, player interviews, schedules, statistics and newsletters. Revenues generated from the website will be split evenly between GCV and the Champions League.

GCV already has a 10-year deal with BCCI to build and operate the Official BCCI and Indian Premier League websites, as well as bring to market other valuable digital assets around Indian cricket including mobile content, live streaming and photo/video syndication.

Live Current chief corporate development Officer Mark Melville said, "We are very fortunate to have obtained the rights to the official website of the Champions League Twenty20, one of the most exciting new sporting events in the world. This is another key milestone for our cricket media business and we look forward to working with the Champions League to create an unrivaled user experience and commercial success."

The inaugural Champions League Twenty20 will be held in India from 3-10 December 2008 and will include the reigning winners and runners-up from the domestic Twenty20 competitions in India, Australia and South Africa, as well as the reigning Twenty20 champions from Pakistan and England who will compete for global T20 supremacy and $6 million prize money.

Last month GCV had launched www.bcci.tv, the official online home of the BCCI. GCV also operates www.iplt20.com, the official website of the DLF Indian Premier League. GCV is currently developing www.cricket.com as the premier destination for the world's more than one billion cricket fans. It recently launched Fantasy Cricket at the site.