?STAR India on Tuesday got a licence for digital distribution for the 2014 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament for a year from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India group.
A consortium led by Times Internet won the global rights of IPL for internet, mobile, radio and TV in some regions for Rs 262 crore for four years ending 2014. It is not known at what price STAR has bought the rights from Times.Under the agreement, STAR India will offer streaming and video on demand of the 20-20 tournament on Starsports.com and on mobile through its website and Indiatimes.com. Times Internet will offer IPL streaming and video on demand on its website and on mobile through Starsports.com.While both will market the tournament, only STAR India will be responsible for monetisation, including advertising sales. “We already have rights of many key cricket tournaments for this platform. The one thing missing was IPL, the third largest cricket property in the world,” said Uday Shankar, chief executive of STAR India.Satyan Gajwani, chief executive officer of Times Internet, said, “We have been offering our users IPL for three years and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognised as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with STAR will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices.”In 2013, STAR bought the associate on ground sponsorship rights for IPL for three years for Rs 100 crore. A year earlier, STAR’s Life OK general entertainment channel signed on as the title sponsor for Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings team.Starsports.com was launched in June 2013 with Pakistan’s tour of India. Customers need to subscribe to the website for a match, a series or a season.Times Internet Limited had won the media rights for the IPL's global internet, mobile and radio rights, along with the television rights for certain territories for four years (2011-2014) at an estimated Rs 261.6 crore.Satyan Gajwani, chief executive officer of Times Internet, said, "We have been offering our users IPL for three years, and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognized as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with Star will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices."
Source: Business-standard.com
