Times Internet is launching GoCricket, a website that it says will provide Cricket reportage and allow visitors to watch matches live on the website. According to placeholders in place right now at GoCricket.com, the website will provide first hand reportage of the ICC World Twenty20 cup from Bangladesh, allow visitors to follow their favorite team in a new way, have a dynamic Cricket scorecard, and provide analysis of the state of Cricket. In addition, it will allow visitors to watch Cricket on the phone, tablet or the desktop. This launch comes at a very interesting time in Cricket, at least when it comes to digital rights and rights of access: 1. Scorecard: The website is launching with scorecard online at a time when court cases by STAR and Multi Screen Media are claiming ownership of Cricket rights. More on that issue here. In case of the 2014 edition of the IPL, Times Internet has rights, but if either STAR or MSM win their cases, it means that Times Internet might have to pay a license fee to incorporate a dynamic scorecard on their website in the future, as well as pay for ball-by-ball commentary. 2. Reportage while other online publications might not be allowed: Times Internet has the advantage of being - rather, being affiliated with - a mainstream media publication. Remember that the BCCI/IPL is trying to prevent access to journalists, and many online publications don't even get access to Cricket grounds today. Some context here, of what happened…
