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vRock Mobile bags IPL rights for SMS, MMS
MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) and its licensing partner Global Cricket Ventures (GCV) have announced an agreement with vRock Mobile Communications, which has acquired the exclusive worldwide SMS, MMS and IVR rights for a period of five years.
vRock Mobile will have the rights to utilise CDMA, GSM, GPRS, MMS, WAP, EDGE, 3G and any other mobile or desktop technology, capable of sending or receiving SMS/MMS alerts, SMS/MMS contest/ activations and live audio commentary / IVR platform.
This partnership with vRock Mobile will help the IPL reach out to a huge global cross-section of its fans on a real time basis and engage them in various activities including score and match-day updates, mobile sms and mms contests, live audio mobile commentary, and regular alerts. All of which marks a new chapter in terms of convergence of IPL content onto the mobile phone and to an enhanced fan experience.
IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi says, “The association with vRock Mobile is yet another effort to extend the IPL fan experience to a new and unique delivery platform. Convergence is the new age mantra, wherein mobile phones are set to play a critical role in delivering a unique fan experience and it is critical for the IPL to deliver on that platform. Through this association IPL fans anywhere in the world will now be able to access scores and information on matches, get LIVE commentary and participate in interactive programmes and contests – all from their very own mobile phone.”
IPL will soon be announcing a partner for mobile video, Modi adds.
VRock Mobile Communications CEO Jatin Ahluwalia said, “The IPL is an excellent platform for vRock Mobile to offer some truly unique services to IPL fans around the world. We have planned some exciting and engaging SMS and MMS – based contests to build consumer engagement with youthful cricket loving audiences. We promise to deliver to Cricket and IPL fans the world over an exhilarating, enhanced and rich user experience on their mobile handsets.”
MMS will include things like best shot and best moment of the match.
GCV director Vijay Srinivasan said, “The agreement announced today is another example of GCV’s commitment to delivering the IPL experience to cricket fans around the world through the use of multiple delivery platforms. This partnership will lead to a wide range of exciting and innovative services becoming accessible to millions of cricket fans, reaching out to new generations across the world. We believe that the way in which audiences follow sport is changing with more and more fans enthusiastic for real-time information and a more interactive role, and we are pleased to be at the forefront of these changes.”
vRock Mobile will provide fans with live score alerts (subscriptions & on-demand); SMS contests – including daily contests and through the IPL 2010 season, not to mention live in-stadia sms contests. Fans will also be able to experience live mobile commentary with contests over an interactive voice response (IVR) system using the latest mobile telephony technology. Lastly, fans will also be able to get the latest IPL news through SMS subscriptions and also get post-match party gossip, match statistics; and loads of MMS pictures, exciting content and much more.
Ahluwalia adds that for this year there will be no ads. The aim is to establish this service. Ad revenue will come in from next year. Cricket experts will be roped in for the commentary service. He also says that telecom service providers have to be educated that there are IPR issues in this domain. He also expects rates for SMS to fall.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
