The Indian arm of telecommunications company Vodafone has agreed a strategic partnership with the Star India broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox to form a Vodafone Sports portal that will include live sports video content.
Vodafone Sports will be powered by the Starsports.com website and will be offered through the Vodafone Live platform. The new service will provide Vodafone customers with premium live content built around some of the most popular sports in India such as cricket, football, tennis, hockey, golf and motorsport. It will initially feature cricket, football and hockey content at launch before expanding to other major sports such as Formula One and tennis.
The Press Trust of India news agency said the partnership includes a revenue sharing deal between Vodafone and Star India based on the packages or plans opted for by users. The content will be advert free at launch.
Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer of Star India, said: “Our ambition is to shape the future of entertainment on a mobile screen and sports is the first big initiative for us. Starsports.com has already set a new standard for sports fans hungry to consume sports without being tied to their television. This partnership will bring the power of our service to a whole new audience.”
Video content will include live games, archive footage and services such as video scorecards. During a cricket game, this will allow users to watch the fall of a wicket or replay individual innings highlights for a particular player direct from the scorecard.
Vodafone India said it has over 160 million customers in the country, with the number of mobile internet users increasing 38 per cent to 45.7 million in its most recent quarter.