Extraaa Innings has started using a Tweet to Unlock and Twitter Mirror feature during its IPL broadcast on Sony Max and Sony Six. As far as we know, it is the first time these features were implemented in India.

This feature is similar to the promotions on Facebook, where you can view the content only after you ‘Like’ a page. We contacted Twitter to find out how much exclusive content was being provided and how new this concept is to India, but we haven’t received a response yet.

Twitter IPLThe company also claimed that it had added support for Twitter Mirror, that allows hosts, cricketers and celebrity guests to tweet candid photos via the @sonymax and @sonysix accounts. However, we couldn’t find any such shots on these accounts. Twitter Mirror, is often found backstage at major award shows and allows celebrities to take selfies simply by tapping the screen. These photos are then posted to the service with the appropriate hashtag.

The program encourages viewers to ask then questions with #eit20 and answer them on the show. Extraaa Innings is also using Twitter’s video app Vine to upload short real-time clips on the making of the show.
IPL related words significantly influenced Twitter’s list of trending cricket topics last year, accounting for four of the top spots on the list. Also, BCCI’s #ThankYouSachin campaign was the most discussed cricket topic for the year and the campaign had clocked 3 million tweets in 12 days. Looks like the potential for Twitter-cricket combo in India is being realised gradually. This feature would also seem interesting to media publications. However, not everyone appreciates being forced to Tweet about a brand to access content. It is highly likely this could backfire, as people hesitate when they are asked to register to view hidden content on existing websites.