For all IPL stakeholders, as we have pointed out in our recent post, the stakes are quite high. To create a buzz about this major sporting event and to reach out to as many people as possible, new media happens to be the pitch.

Cricket is a religion, a way of life in the Indian sub-continent. With Bollywood personalities and business tycoons getting drawn to it, the IPL has clearly acquired a huge glamour. With theatrical rights as well as the Google, Youtube mega deal in the pocket, revenues for the third edition are expected to touch nearly Rs 700 crore.

According to industry estimates, this is almost 50 per cent jump from the season two revenues last year. However, a section of experts feel that more needs to be done in terms of innovation to exploit the online medium adequately and effectively.
Brand strategy specialist Harish Bijoor mentioned that fans could well watch match replays or even come together to conceive something like a second life where sites create a social platform for them to interact with their friends or even with the teams.
Having their sights firmly set on grabbing more eyeballs, the franchisees are now imparting more fun element with a host of ‘cricketainment’ related activities for the fans on their sites. Kolkata Knight Riders plan to offer ‘better online experience’ is an example. A new initiative KKR online fan club is also on the cards to involve over 40,000 registered users.

Red Chillies (the company, which owns KKR) spokesperson, has been quoted as saying: “We are making it (our website) more interactive. Visitors can buy match tickets and merchandise online. Mumbai Indians has begun selling online tickets for the home matches. Fans can get their favorite view seats, as all seats in the Brabourne Stadium (except a few) have been mapped online.

There’s an increasing realization of the fact that monetization and greater revenue can materialize only with focused e-commerce strategies.