IPL live on ITV

Quite an unexpected cricketing coup for ITV.

The Independent station has just announced that it has picked up the rights to the IPL and ITV4 will be showing 59 of 60 live matches over 45 days.

There is a fair chance that it secured the rights for a nominal sum after the collapse of Setanta last year.

The tournument,the richest cricketing festival in the world is already being show on You Tube.

It all begins on the 12th March

IPL comes to You Tube

This week seems to be verging on a watershed for sports coverage.

Firstly we get rumour that Sky are going to be forced to lower their charges for sporting events to other broadcasters.

Now today You Tube that they are to show Indian Premier League cricket.

Coverage is due to start in March and Google will split revenues from the sponsorship rights with the IPL.

Whether this comes to the UK is still in the open.Setanta held the TV and internet rights to the competition in the UK .

Indian dreams

India has been on the radar as one of the developing markets that journalists may find work in.

After reading this piece in the Hindustan Times (ht-Sans Serif) I am not so sure.Entitled Why media suffers while movies, IPL prosper? the writer argues that

In India, the media survive not on subscriptions and viewer-driven revenue, but on advertising. If fewer people are buying goods and if there is a country-wide recession, then companies will slash their advertising budgets.

and adds that

Many publishing houses ventured into businesses and products they had no understanding of, believing that the revenue from their existing cash cows would increase so dramatically that they could subsidize losses in the new businesses.
That dream is now dead. That’s why some publications are closing down and others are certain to follow.

As for the IPL it seems to go from strength to strength although as it too survives on commercial sponsorship maybe it will too be facing difficult times ahead