This is big: responding to ContentSutra’s question about MultiScreen Media’s upcoming New Media Initiatives, CEO Kunal Dasgupta said that the company is working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to set up a Fantasy Cricket League around the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dasgupta is bullish on E-Sports, which has been a huge success in Korea - users competing in a game against each other is being broadcast on TV, and there’s live commentary. Users will be able to select a team, dress the players. He said that the league will be ready in one year, once the brands of the teams in the space have been established. Fantasy Cricket, he said, will be a huge component of MSM’s new media initiatives. The animation for the Fantasy Cricket League is a Canadian company, but the deal will be announced by the BCCI.

Dasgupta believes that the IPL will have a spillover effect on the entire MSM network - and the sport of Cricket itself might go through a change. On
Mobile: “Until we have a platform or a delivery system for video, nothing is going to happen. We’ve seen through initiatives like Indian Idol - it makes money for the mobile operators, but not much for us.” He added that the company is going to put the next session of IPL in High Definition. Sport has a bigger consumer in high definition, than regular TV programs. I also asked him about their Internet plans, but Dasgupta was non-committal, saying only that they do have plans, but he can’t give any details at present.