Now NRIs can watch IPL matches live on YouTube!

Lalit Modi has indeed found the Holy Grail of cricket. Last week he announced that the IPL is coming to America, now millions of Indians across the world are going to be elated with this - the Indian Premier League can now be watched live on video sharing site YouTube!

IPL Chairman Lalit Modi revealed today that search engine giant Google has partnered with the IPL, and YouTube would broadcast all the matches of the upcoming third season of the IPL. "This changes the world of sports broadcasting. The internet has changed the lives of everyone and this will do the same for sport," Modi told the Daily Telegraph. "We are now taking our event truly global for the first time. Google gives us access to 500 million pairs of eyes every single moment of the day. There are a few countries where the feed will be near as live which means there will be a delay of only a few minutes, but most places will be able to see live streaming of the action."

As per the deal, Google possesses the exclusive online rights for IPL content until 2012 and both Google and IPL will share revenues from sponsorships and advertising. "We are thrilled to have the IPL as our global partner," said Shailesh Rao, a senior manager of Google India. "YouTube offers an open platform for sports and entertainment companies to take their content to a global audience and a great opportunity for advertisers." Cricket matches are not telecast live in countries like the US which have a huge fan base for the sport. The second season of the IPL was not ever shown in the UK, as the Setanta network (which showed the first season) shut down. The new YouTube broadcast surely revolutionises things.

"We do not have a live feed in the UK. People in the UK keep asking me why they can't see it. Now if they have a broadband connection they can get it for free. It is about broadening the fan base, after that everything follows," Modi said. And its not just simple 2D viewing, users can also choose different camera angles during streaming. There are also the options of pausing, rewinding and fast forwarding, neither of which is present in televisions. "This will be a true experience for the fan who will be able to control how and when they watch the action. It doesn't matter if you live in Australia and the games are shown during the middle of the night. Now you will be able to get up in the morning and, if you have an internet connection, watch the action at a time of your choosing and not have to wait for a broadcaster to repeat it," Modi said.

"The fans will also have exclusive feeds which we are only showing on Google. They will have what we call a Fan Feed which will show the entertainment around the matches." However Modi said that television would be given top priority since the majority of the folks watching the IPL are Indians in the country glued to their TV screens during dinner. "Television broadcasting still remains a massive focus for us all but this offers us tremendous potential for the future. Google has never done this before. This is a first for the whole of sport."