MUMBAI: Continuing from their partnerships in 2013 and 2014, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Twitter have come together for the eighth season to bring new products and experiences to enhance the cricket viewing experience for fans around the world.
Cricket enthusiasts and IPL aficionados, who are online or offline, watching on any type of device or screen, those on the Twitter mobile app, desktop web to SMS will all be able to participate in the festival this year.
Speaking about the partnership, IPL governing council chairman Rajiv Shukla said, “IPL has always strived to put fans first. The evolution of our partnership with Twitter means that this season will be even more accessible to fans with real-time, interactive experiences both online and offline.”
Highlights of the initiatives launched are as follows:
IPL Hashflags
Waving the flag for your team has never been easier, as IPL will become the first sports league in the world to use hashflags on Twitter. “Hashflags are a fun and easy way to add some colour to tweets, and IPL fans on Twitter who use their favourite team’s hashtag will see that team’s flag appear after the text. The official hashtags for Hashflags are #IPL, #CSK, #DD, #KKR, #KXIP, #MI, #RCB, #RR and #SRH,” informs BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.
Missed Call to follow IPL
In another global first, IPL will become the sports league that debuts the opportunity for sports fans to stay connected to their Twitter account via missed calls. Fans, who give a missed call to IPL on 011 3008 2008, will receive up to six tweets per day from @IPL that contain the hashtag #live as SMS. This service is free and will make the IPL even more accessible for fans as they can get Twitter updates from IPL even without an Internet connection.
IPL Timeline
With BCCI having introduced cricket timelines on Twitter, a special IPL Timeline has been created within all of Twitter’s platforms, from iOS to Android and also twitter.com. The two distinct timelines, one each for the tournament and live games, which will give fans all they need to know, from IPL to the fans, experts to the teams. Game timelines can be found by using match specific hashtags like #KKRvMI, #CSKvDD, #KXIPvRR, #CSKvRR. Users will also be to tweet with the tournament and match hashtags from right within this timeline. For mobile, this experience is available to all users who have updated to the latest version of the Twitter app.
IPL tweet-Wall-of-Fame
The IPL tweet Wall of Fame will give fans an opportunity to be seen by viewers watching the IPL around the world. The IPL will select the best tweets from users tweeting with #PepsiIPL and showcase them in the live global TV broadcast of every match. Fans whose tweets are showcased on air will then receive a tweet from @IPL with the screenshot of their tweet going on live TV. These tweets will also be featured on a dedicated IPL tweet-Wall-of-Fame page on iplt20.com
IPL Q&As on Periscope
Innovating with live mobile video broadcast, IPL will also take fans behind-the-scenes like never before with surprise, real-time Q&As. Fans on iOS will be able to watch and type in questions to their favourite players and commentators as they engage with them from the IPL Periscope account.
IPL #OrangeCap and #PurpleCap
In the latest season of the IPL, fans will also have the opportunity to tweet and create their own #PurpleCap and #OrangeCap leaderboards by using #PepsiIPL and #<Player’s last name> or his Twitter handle. The results will be displayed in real-time on a special leaderboard in the IPL on Twitter section of iplt20.com from the end of Week 1 to the end of the season.
Twitter India and Southeast Asia market director Rishi Jaitly said, “The IPL has led the way with cutting edge innovations and we are thrilled that they are giving Twitter users the opportunity to consume and engage with such premium content and content participation experiences again this season. It is a reflection of their commitment to reach and engage a mobile, global fanbase across all screens and devices.”
