Cricket on Cell Phones: India’s killer app

For the most part, I think video on cell phones does not have a big market opportunity, barring pornography. The form factor is too small. However, there is one exception: India’s obsession with Cricket! This morning’s newswire has a snippet on 3i’s entry into the Indian market with a $45 Million investment in Nimbus Communication.

Nimbus’ current contracts include the management of commercial rights of International Cricket Council events mandated by the Global Cricket Corporation, the A1 Grand Prix World Cup of Motor Sport mandated by Team India and the Afro Asia Cup cricket mandated by the Asian Cricket Council.

Indian’s have a lot of time in their hands. By and large, it is a much slower culture than the US. People take their time to enjoy themselves. Connecting with family and friends is very important and an integral part of the culture. And Cricket has served as one of the greatest catalyst that co-workers, college students, teens, even housewives bond around.

I grew up in an extended family of some 25 people living under the same roof at 34/1 Elgin Road, Calcutta. For the 1983 Prudential World Cup Final that was held in England, and that India won for the first time, our entire household (including the servants) assembled all through the night, to watch the game. Later on, as more and more money started flowing into the game, (courtesy Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, Indian cricket’s star politician and commercial mastermind), Pepsi took advantage of the phenomenon to win in the Indian market.

For Yahoo and Nokia, this is an example to take some cues from: Understanding the cricket ecosystem will provide numerous clues into the consumer psyche of a few hundred million Indians, and working that understanding into their local strategies would prove immensely lucrative.