Apalya looks to double user base on IPL track

Mobile television and streaming video services provider Apalya Technologies is looking to double its subscriber base of mobile Internet users to 2 million by the end of the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket season, according to Vamshi Krishna Reddy, co-founder of the company.

“We are expecting to add 1 million dedicated subscribers by the end of the forthcoming IPL season. We are presently offering 70-80 television channels,” Reddy said.

Hyderabad-based Apalya entered into a tieup with Global Cricket Ventures (GCV) this week to provide live mobile video streaming of IPL matches on an exclusive basis for three years. GCV is the mobile and internet partner licensee of IPL. The IPL 2010 season is set to start on March 12.

Apalya Technologies has entered into agreements with mobile operators in the country, including Tata Tele and Reliance Telecom, for sports fans to access real-time streaming information on cricket matches through mobile data cards. It has launched Photon TV along with Tata Tele to live television channels and recorded TV shows while on the move.

Apalya’s competitors in the live mobile video delivery space include Aksh Optifibre, ROK Entertainment and Zenga TV, among others. The company raised $3 million from IDG Ventures India and Qualcomm Ventures in October last year. Apalya had raised an angel investment from Mumbai Angels.

The company, which participated in the 3G rollout by BSNL and MTNL last year, has been engaged in 3G network and infrastructure deployment where it will invest 25-30 per cent of the money raised.

“We are working on building value right now and looking to have a presence in niche spaces,” said Reddy, ruling out any acquisition plans by the company or raising of fresh funding at this point of time.

A portion of the venture funding is going into building up its team of 75 people which is set to grow by over 35 people within a year.

Bangalore-based July Systems is another company which has signed up with IPL to provide mobile Internet data services. India currently has 120 million subscribers, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

 

However, the number of mobile Internet subscribers with access to 3G spectrum is just 5-10 million.