The Star India broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has acquired digital distribution rights for the 2014 season of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India media group.
Under the terms of the deal, Star India will offer streaming and video on demand content on the Starsports.com website, the Star Sports app, and on mobile operator services powered by Star Sports.
Times Internet will distribute IPL streaming and video on demand on its cricket platform on web and mobile, powered by a Starsports.com video player. Both companies will market the joint initiative, and Star India will be solely responsible for monetisation, including advertising sales.
Last year, the IPL’s online platform recorded a 56 per cent growth in unique visitors, with over 200 million video views.
Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer of Star India, 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.”