IPL 2018: Cricket gets a virtual reality twist as Star India banks on tech

Aiming to enhance viewers' experience, Star India will make T20 cricket matches of the tournament available in VR on its over-the-top platform Hotstar

Star India, the official broadcaster of the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next five years is banking on technology to expand the scale of the league’s viewership in the digital space. This year, the IPL will be available in virtual reality (VR) format on Hotstar, the network’s video streaming platform.
 
“In India, between 600 and 700 million people follow cricket. However, of these, not more than 30 million would have seen a live cricket match in a stadium. We want to enhance the experience for those who can’t make it to the stadiums. Through Hotstar, using technology, we have made the virtual reality option available this year,” said Sanjay Gupta, managing director, Star India.
 
There are two ways to view the IPL in VR on Hotstar. The first is through VR glasses available in the market. Hotstar’s back-end technology will now include compatibility with VR devices. Another option within the app will be to pause the match at any given time, and swipe/tilt the phone to get a 360-degree view of the ground. Both will be a first for IPL telecast on digital. Gupta said the VR feature would not only enhance the viewer experience, but also provide yet another avenue for brands to engage with the audience outside stadiums.  Star, however, is not looking at any hardware tie-ups with VR glass/headset makers for now.
 
In addition to initiative for viewers, the network also announced an initiative for its commercial partners. Star India announced the Star Reimagine Creative Award, to be given to the two top advertisers for creative use of TV and digital during the tournament for their campaigns.
 
Star India aims to reach 700 million viewers on TV and digital with IPL 2018 and hopes to get significantly higher number of advertisers for the tournament. While he refused to divulge details on advertisers/sponsors for the IPL this year, Gupta was confident that with a six-month-long period of IPL and related content broadcast and technological innovations, more brands than the current 60-70 that advertise on the league will be attracted to the tournament.
 
Star India won the IPL media rights for the 2018-22 period during the auction held last year. It has envisioned a six-month-long telecast period for the IPL starting with the player retention ceremony on January 4. In the run-up to the tournament, the network will air the IPL player auction, content around the team’s preparation and analysis from experts.
 
The player retention ceremony was telecast on TV (the Star Sports Network) and Hotstar and was viewed by 8.1 million people in all.