So it's official. NBC Universal Digital Solutions (NBCUDS) has partnered with Ten Sports to launch TenSports.com, a free, cricket-focused multiplatform sports portal. The site will begin live streaming with the Compaq Cup, a triangular Cricket series between India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka starting on September 8, 2009. The portal will be owned and operated by NBCUDS, and will expand its content offerings to include other sports in the future. NBCUDS will also syndicate live cricket Webcast to its selected syndication partners for wider distribution. Sab Kanaujia, Vice President, Digital Product Strategy & Development, NBC Universal, will be managing this new business Given that Ten Sports owns rights to content from the Cricket boards of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the portal will target an audience from the sub-continent and the Middle East. What the deal also facilitates, is the availability of Ten Sports' digital archival content. According to a release from the companies, the archive will also be made available to mobile users. The Challenge: Monetization Remember that Live Current Media bet big on the online Cricket business in India, and eventually had to exit the business. It's one thing to have the content - both live and archival - but quite another to monetize views. During the Indian Premier League, I watched the free live streaming from IPLT20.com in India: it was a clean feed with no advertising. NBCUDS has brought on board Vdopia as its exclusive third party digital ad…
