Irrespective of the Twitter generated controversy over Team Kochi, source of funding and issues of ownership tangles involving high-profile celebrities and politicians, Indian Premier League is still buzzing. This time it’s drawing attention of viewers beyond stadiums via different mediums like mobile phones.

Apalya Technologies has secured global rights for streaming cricket matches live on mobile phones. The company has managed close to 40 percent subscriber growth. It has a target of not less than two million subscribers by the end of IPL 3.

The user base can be attributed largely to the 3G segment that has registered nearly 500 percent growth. Unlike YouTube that has a time lag of five minutes, mobile video delivery platform of Apalya is live. The content is more dynamic than that on TV. Apalya has also launched the iPhone app to let iPhone users view the live streaming of IPL.

Based on figures available till April 12, YouTube’s IPL channel has received not less 37 million views after 45 matches. The number of cricket lovers who saw the uploaded videos is more than 19 million. The number of people who have sought to subscribe the service is about 75,000. This clearly indicates a preference to watch the cricket action live on YouTube.

On the other hand, July Systems has got the global rights for streaming of IPL video clips. It has recorded 13,888 hr of video downloads on mobiles as on April 6. Ball-by-ball video score update, just a ball or two behind the TV broadcast, is a popular feature of the service. It has secured more than 4 million unique users (more than 90 million page views) during the IPL 3 so far.

Clearly, the third IPL season has caught fancy of cricket lovers online as well as on the wireless platform.