iWorld
ESPNcricinfo launches new, reimagined app
MUMBAI: ESPNcricinfo’s news website recently launched a new and reimagined app on its 25th anniversary celebration this year. The new app reinforces the brand’s position as an innovator, introducing new features and delivers a unique blend of personalisation and performance along with the best coverage of the sport in India and globally.
The reimagined ESPNcricinfo phone app has more personal and dynamic and would be unique experience to each user based on their particular interests, while also enabling meaningful curation and presentation from ESPN’s storytellers, journalists and content creators. Cricket fans get:
- Super-fast, easy-to-access scores and the world’s most respected news, features and opinion coverage of cricket, presented in an integrated main content feed
- A powerful, easy-to-use interface that enhances user-driven personalisation
- Rich presentation of ESPNcricinfo’s industry-leading video content, including highlights, clips, original shows, commentary and analysis, all delivered right on the home screen.
ESPN India and South Asia head vice president Ramesh Kumar said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of the re-imagined app, giving each and every fan a more personal experience with our industry leading scores, news and video.”
“We have always kept fans at the core of all we do. The new app marks the latest evolution in our storied history as one of the internet’s digital sports pioneers and is another way that ESPNcricinfo is raising the game for cricket fans in creating the best experience across every device and platform. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, ESPNcricinfo is more committed than ever to being every fans digital connection to the sport loved by nearly two billion people worldwide,” he added.
Fans can also watch live match action on ESPN.in.
From June 2017 to May 2018, ESPNcricinfo has seen a 50 per cent year-on-year increase in total minutes spent and a 300 per cent increase in video consumption. It is one of the most visited digital sports destinations in India with over one billion visits annually.
ESPNcricinfo’s programming around the series comprises pre and post-match shows, video highlights, though-provoking analysis with unmatched statistical data, specially designed to bring the game closer to fans. To help deliver its coverage, ESPNcricinfo has roped in top cricket talent as experts, including Mark Butcher, Steve Harmison, James Taylor, Ravi Bopara and Nick Compton, who mesh seamlessly with their Indian counterparts Murali Kartik Ajit Agarkar, Aakash Chopra and Murali Kartik.
iWorld
Jio IPO faces delay as India yet to clear listing rule changes
Proposed rule change allows mega IPOs to float just 2.5 per cent
MUMBAI: The Indian government’s delay in formalising changes to listing rules may derail the targeted timeline for the initial public offering (IPO) of Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
According to media reports, Reliance is awaiting formal notification of regulatory amendments before appointing investment bankers and filing a draft IPO prospectus. The company is now aiming to submit the draft prospectus before April, depending on when the government issues the notification.
Jio, which owns India’s largest wireless operator, is widely seen as one of the crown jewels of Ambani’s business empire. Its listing, the first public offering of a major Reliance unit in nearly two decades, could become the country’s biggest ever IPO.
Investment bankers have proposed a valuation of as much as $170 billion for the company. Even the minimum stake sale could raise roughly $4.3 billion, potentially placing Jio among India’s most valuable listed companies.
Ambani had earlier said that Reliance was targeting a listing of Jio in the first half of 2026, a plan first outlined in 2019 with a five-year timeline. In 2020, global technology groups Meta Platforms and Alphabet invested more than $10 billion combined in the company.
The delay stems from pending regulatory changes approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in September. The amendments allow companies with a post-issue market capitalisation exceeding Rs 5 trillion (about $55 billion) to float as little as 2.5 per cent of equity in an IPO, compared with the current 5 per cent minimum.
Such changes are expected to enable mega listings, including potential offerings by Jio and the National Stock Exchange of India. However, the reforms still require formal notification from the government.
Meanwhile, the National Stock Exchange is moving ahead with plans to raise as much as $2.5 billion through its own IPO and has recently invited banks to pitch for roles in the offering.
