IPL launches official website

The Indian Premier League has launched its website iplt20.com, developed by Live Current Media (LCM), a Canadian company which bought the portal rights for the next ten years.

Earlier known as Communicate.com, LCM used to be a domain name company - it owns 110 domain names including cricket.com - but now uses domains as commercial sites. The IPL website will be LCM's first foray in to cricket-related content distribution. The ten-year deal includes creating and operating websites for the IPL and the Indian board. Cricket.com, which will be filled with content following this deal, had interested buyers but LCM declined to sell the portal.

It is also being reported that LCM has bought a fantasy cricket Facebook application for US$ 25,000. Recently LCM bought online auction manager Auctomatic for $5 million.

"Our team extends North America, the UK and India and is set on creating the most interactive environment for cricket fans worldwide to engage in the world of Indian cricket from wherever they live," said Geoffrey Hampson, the LCM chairman.

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, said the organisers chose to sign on LCM to provide IPL fans globally with free and direct access to the play-by-play action. "I expect the site to extend the stadium experience of a cricket match to the worldwide audience of cricket fans at large. The website is highly interactive and includes everything a cricket fan would need to get their daily, hourly and minute-by-minute fix."