CricketNext to cross billion-page views; may buy webcasting firm

Mumbai: Within just 15 days of the tournament and after 28 matches, CricketNext (www.cricketnext.com), the official Internet partner for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, which has also created and is managing the official website www.CricketWorldCup.com, has cumulatively aggregated over 250 million page views, and 700 million hits.

“At its current traffic levels, and with the Super 6 yet to start, we are confident of crossing the billion mark in page views before the end of the tournament,“ says CricketNext managing director Sanjay Jha.

Adds CricketNext director Pallavi Jha: “CricketNext is clearly against among the biggest verticals in the world not just in cricket or sports, but across various categories.“

The company is currently evaluating its future business strategy post-world cup, among which is an acquisition of a webcasting firm or developing necessary technology and skills in house.

“Given our experiences during the world cup, we believe live streaming and video highlights will be extremely popular in countries such as the UK, Canada, the US and Western Europe. India will become a viable commercial proposition when broadband is much greater than is currently available,“ says Pallavi Jha.

CricketNext has sold official memorabilia, T-shirts, bats and balls worth over Rs 2 lakh since the world cup began. “Although it is a modest beginning we see huge export potential to clubs and associations, particularly in the US,“ adds Pallavi Jha. “It is a B2B model.“