This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Live IPL Matches On Twitter Could Soon Be A Reality

The social networking site will focus more and more on live content.
Brendan McDermid / Reuters

After live streaming National Football League (NFL) games to the Indian audience, Twitter India is trying to get the rights to show Indian Premier League (IPL) matches live on the website.

According to a report in the Economic Times, Twitter is bidding for the digital rights of the cricket tournament hosted by Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

The social network is trying hard to bring the live experience to users through various mediums. In the US, the company has tied up with NFL to stream some matches live through the website to its users. In July, Twitter also live streamed an e-sports event for the first time.

"We are constantly evaluating opportunities around the world to transform live sports experiences for fans in partnership with our most valued global sports partners and this IPL tender purchase is representative of that," Aneesh Madani, Head of Sports Partnerships for Twitter India, said in an interview with ET.

Last year's IPL was a huge success for Twitter as there were almost 10.6 million tweets in the course of the 60 matches that were played. And, there were many occasions when over a 1,000 tweets were being posted per minute.

The good news for Twitter was that its heavy focus on video seemed to be paying off, with an almost 32 fold growth in the video content over the previous edition of IPL. The views were up by 64 times.

There is huge uncertainty around Twitter now as, recently, Salesforce backed out as a potential buyer of the company. Earlier Google and Microsoft were also rumored to be interested in acquiring the company.

At present, Twitter seems to be carving a solo path with Jack Dorsey at the helm, with a heavy focus on live content and experiences. Twitter India also has launched a number of shows through Periscope.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.