ESPNcricinfo and Idea Cellular enter into advertising alliance

Multiple Idea Cellular ads -- both static ads and rich media banner ads -- will be on display across theESPNcricinfo mobile site and mobile apps.

ESPN's cricket site ESPNCricinfo.com has entered into a long-term mobile advertising deal with mobile operator Idea Cellular, in India.

Idea Cellular is now a major sponsor of ESPNcricinfo's main web portal, mobile website, and mobile applications (apps) in India. The plan ahead is to target passionate cricket fans, with a sustained and multi-faceted presence.

ESPNcricinfo and Idea Cellular enter into advertising alliance

Also, as part of this deal, multiple Idea Cellular ads -- both static ads and rich media banner ads-- will be on display across the ESPNcricinfo mobile site and apps. The aim is to invite user interaction with the media banners, and to deliver multiple messages to consumers at different times throughout their visit to the app.

The campaign is aimed to ensure that on any single visit to the ESPNcricinfo mobile site or web portal, Idea Cellular is one of the most visible brands. Additionally, Idea Cellular will also sponsor the home page and rankings sections of the ESPNcricinfo mobile site and display advertising online.

Addressing the development, Tom Gleeson, vice-president, digital media, ESPN International, says in an official communique, "Around the world, and especially in India, cricket is a sport, consumed heavily on mobile media. More sports fans are following the sport on mobile phones, and ESPN is now ideally placed to help leverage this opportunity for brands and to serve fans wherever they are. The nature and scope of this campaign enables Idea Cellular to deliver multiple messages during users' visits, and further demonstrates our unrivalled ability to connect brands to cricket fans both in India and worldwide."

ESPNcricinfo boasts a heavy mobile audience in India; during a major series, its mobile website has over five million visitors and more than 100 million page views. During the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the Indian subcontinent generated the most mobile web usage as compared to all other major markets. Logs revealed that ESPNcricinfo received more than 300 million page views, and over 10 million visitors consumed ESPNcricinfo content from their mobile devices at the time.

Further, since its launch earlier this year, the ESPNcricinfo mobile app for the iPhone and Android has been consistently ranked at No. 1, within the sports app category in India.

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