By Bharati M.

Sharad Kajaria of 123india.com and CricInfo's Simon King haven't met before. Yet, recently, they signed and sealed a six-figure content deal over the Net. CricInfo India--a wholly-owned subsidiary of CricInfo of the UK--will provide content to 123india.com. The path-breaking 1-year deal--most of the first-class cricket coverage generated by cricket.org will be shared with 123india--does more than highlight the cricket madness that afflicts the country. By selling its entire content to an indirect competitor, CricInfo has marked an Indian first.

But then, the company has always followed a different model. In 1996, CEO Simon King registered CricInfo as a non-profit organisation. Today, the company has grossed $5 million in revenues, and provides content to 3 television broadcasters and 35 blue-chip on-line and off-line publishers (including Yahoo!, Netspace, and NineMSN), as well as a clutch of Internet Service Providers. Global COO Badri Sheshadri, 30, says that the company expects to do business of $18 million during the next year. "We want to cover just about everything to do with cricket," adds Murari Venkataraman, 35, CEO, CricInfo India.

Cricket.org had 65,000 registered users in 1999, and 87 million page-views in January, 2000. A recent survey listed cricket.org as the fourth most-visited Website by Indian surfers. Says Bank of America's Prakash Parthasarathy, 30, who works on cricket.org's deal valuations: "The site is involved in all aspects of the cricket economy, making it one of the deepest vertical content portals in the world."

It shows in the company's strong promotions. Cricket.org is the official sponsor of 5 out of the 9 international cricket bodies. The Website sources its content through a wealth of tie-ups with media houses (The Hindu and Sportstar in India) across the cricketing world. There's a lesson here for our winless cricketers: content and the willow go well together. It definitely works for a unique Net business that's straddling the globe, from the US to Africa.
-Bharati M.

Of Birds and B2B Commerce

The early worm is eaten up by the bird. For all the hype and hoopla around the daily launches of e-Commerce sites, corporate India is still very wary about doing business on the Net. According to an IDC (India) survey of 866 companies, awareness of e-Commerce in India is high at 20 per cent--but only 4 per cent of companies buy on-line, with even a lower number (2 per cent) selling on the Net. The reasons for this are well known: lack of adequate payment facilities and means to secure information, as well as the high infrastructure cost involved. Many companies also feel that Indian consumers prefer to physically inspect a product before buying it. B2B e-Commerce is expected to take precedence over B2C e-transactions. Some early birds are getting that right.

-Sanjiv Rana

e-CAPSULES

e-ACCESS

• The Videocon Group has launched a Net cruiser with a built-in VCD player, which allows users to send and receive e-mail and surf the Net through a conventional CTV and telephone line.
• The Bangalore-based Encore Software will bring out a low-cost Net access device to make it accessible in rural areas.
• Onida has launched the Candy brand of TVs, which will give e-mail facility to users.
• Oracle will deliver the Net to cellphones, through a strategic alliance with Motorola, which will bring the service to customers through its handsets by the end of 2000.
• The Bharti Group has announced free Net services for its basic phone customers in Madhya Pradesh.
• HCL Infosystems has launched Dragon Speech Recognition Software, which is sensitive to Indian accents.

e-ALLIANCES

• The Sun Microsystem-Netscape alliance has launched iPlanet e-Commerce Solutions in India and has appointed Tata Consultancy Services as its system integrator.
• Tata Infotech has entered into a strategic tie-up with Wausau Financial System, US, an international provider of payment solutions.
• Saba has announced a strategic tie-up with LearningByte to provide e-Learning solutions to Indian companies.
• ICICI has appointed McKinsey and Co. to formulate its e-strategy.
• UTV Interactive's Singapore-based Webcasting site, sharkstream.com, has announced a content alliance with Voice Of America.
• Rating and research agency CRISIL has allied with Satyam Infoway to develop initiatives for B2B commerce on the Net.

e-ACQUISITIONS

• Power utility BSES is acquiring e-Commerce portal indbazaar.com for Rs 40 crore.
• indiainfo.com will pick up a stake in the New York-based India Abroad, which owns the India Abroad News Service.
• Orient Information Technology has acquired cyberitmall.com

e-CLICKS

• Pacfusion.com, an e-Commerce subsidiary of ISP Pacific Internet, has launched a wholly-owned e-Commerce subsidiary in India.
• Asiacontent.com, a pan-Asian Net company, has floated a wholly-owned subsidiary to develop local content for popular international vertical portals.
• Enron has launched enroncredit.com, the first global on-line credit department to provide live credit prices and enable B2B customers to hedge credit exposure instantly via the Net.
• Tata Consultancy Services, a division of Tata Sons, has set up a dedicated Net technology centre.
• Mantra Online has launched ERP Solutions through the Net.
• Baan Company has recently introduced the new version of Baan products that exploit the features of the Microsoft 2000 operating system.
• BBC intends to privatise BBC Worldwide, and the beeb.com Net service.
• The Gramophone Co. of India will invest Rs 75 crore to expand its dot.com activities and acquire other labels and brands.

e-LAUNCHES

• India's first portal on insurance--assureindia.com--was launched by Integra Capital Management.
• The Tata Group' Rallis India, has launched rallikisan.com for farmers.
• On-line music store Fabmart.com has recently launched a virtual bookstore.
• Eclat Infoway, a Chennai-based software company has launched 2 portals--an on-line data scheduler, rush4info.com, for all segments, and pepzine.com, which is an on-line infotainment magazine.

e-GOVERNMENT

• The Ministry of Water Resources has launched a Website, wrmin.nic.in.
• The Rajasthan State Agency for Computer Services has signed an MoU with Microsoft to promote e-Governance in the state.
• The Calcutta Police plans to link all its 42 police stations under its network system to curb traffic violations. 
  
  

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