InMobi, Cricbuzz announce partnership for monetisation of mobile ads

Bangalore and San Francisco-based mobile ad network InMobi and Cricbuzz, a leading cricket property that provides information on scores, news, match schedules and ball-to-ball commentary, have entered into a partnership for monetising mobile ads on Cricbuzz's mobile site and applications for the Indian market.

Under the partnership, InMobi will have exclusive rights to monetise Cricbuzz's mobile properties across all devices (phones and tablets) in India. Cricbuzz was founded in 2004 and it today has a presence across multiple digital platforms. It attracts over 17 million monthly unique visitors on its web and mobile properties. Cricbuzz's competitors include both large players like ESPN (ESPNcricinfo) and NDTV (NDTVcricket) that provide comprehensive cricket information, as well as other apps that provide live cricket scores like CricketCalling Live and LIVE cricket Scores.

"We believe that user growth on mobile shall far outpace the growth on web in the years to come. Given the kind of systems and talent that InMobi has at its disposal, we are optimistic that this partnership is going to be a win-win one for both the parties," said Pankaj Chhaparwal, founder and MD at Cricbuzz.

InMobi caters to advertisers, publishers and developers globally, and is backed by investors including SoftBank, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures. The company claims to reach 578 million consumers in over 165 countries, through more than 93.5 billion mobile ad impressions monthly. Last year, it had struck the largest deal (till date) in the mobile Internet space in India with $200 million commitment from Japan's Softbank Corp. The company has offices in India, the UK and the US, as well as in other global locations, and it has recently expanded its footprint in Asia, Europe and Australia.

Early this year, the company had struck a similar mobile advertising partnership with PERFORM, a digital sports media business that owns football news website Goal.com, although that partnership was for Africa. The company had earlier this month acquired MMTG Labs, Inc., a US-based startup and appointed Shrikant Latkar as vice-president, global marketing.

(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)