*Channel 2 Group's, www.cricketfreeq.com, official internet radio for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

* RCOM to distribute broadcast content on mobile in India and globally

* Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sir Clive Lloyd as expert commentators.

MUMBAI: Dubai's Channel 2 Group's internet radio platform for cricket, www.cricketfreeq.com, was launched by cricket legend Kapil Dev on Wednesday in Mumbai. Cricketfreeq.com is India's first internet radio channel on cricket featuring Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sir Clive Lloyd as expert commentators on the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, and will complement Channel 2 Group's radio broadcast of the Cup on Cricket Radio.

The company has tied up with Reliance Communications (RCOM) which will distribute the broadcast content on mobile networks across the world. It will leverage RCOM's pan-India and global telecom infrastructure to deliver the internet radio channel to cricket lovers across the globe.

Amit Tripathi, Director, CricketFreeq.com, said, Cricketfreeq.com offers ball-by-ball cricket updates and analyses of all matches along with games, contests and other interactive content for cricket fans. We have our own channel on Facebook with live Twitter score on the game play. As we grow, we would also go across other social media networks like Orkut, Ibibo and My Space....

Kapil Dev said, Television has taken over sports in a large way, but radio reaches those who cannot be hooked on to television all the time. I want to share my thoughts with the world and I feel radio is a medium of great expression. Cricketfreeq.com is a wonderful way to directly speak with those who are passionate about the game, not only in India but also abroad, and want to know more. During our days we just had an hour-long programme on TV dedicated to sports, but today we have 24-hour sports channels, so it gives me great pleasure to be connected with the world via Radio. On the field I gave my 100 % and I won't give anything less than 200 % to make this initiative successful....

Tripathi said Cricketfreeq.com will be promoted extensively on digital media via  social media open source platforms and search marketing platforms like Google, Yahoo and most importantly... Facebook.

On plans to help the site retain users even after the live matches are over, Tripathi said, Yes, engagement with viewers is a problem for sports-led websites. Normally, it's only for the live match hours when millions are hooked on sports websites,  but as soon as the match ends the entire volume drops, therefore in the next three years we plan to invest USD 30 million on Cricketfreeq.com – the idea is to create a platform where engagement is self-sustaining and on-going. With a huge content strategy we want to convert the platform into a 24-hour channel across web... 

Key sponsors for www.cricketfreeq.com for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 include MoneyGram for its three-nation Cricket for Peace concerts, SpiceJet and Travel Port.

Ajay Sethi, Chairman, Channel 2 Group, said, We plan to emerge as the largest sport internet radio player globally by 2015. We plan to build a global audience for cricket and subsequently launch platforms for other sports.... Sethi's Channel 2 Group has acquired radio broadcast rights for sports properties including ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Barclays English Premier League Football, The Dutch League, World Cup Rugby, Wimbledon and Australian Open Tennis and US Open and major professional Golf Tours such as US PGA, The Masters and the  Ryders Cup. It has global content tie-ups with leading terrestrial radio channels like Sirius XM, North America, Channel4 Radio Network for Middle East and CMC Corporation Caribbean.

Sethi said, The power of internet radio allows the broadcast to capture audiences of common diasporas across geographies. Radio has traditionally been a local medium but with the advent of 3G and high broadband speeds, there is potential to transform radio into a global medium with seamless integration across devices and platforms including terrestrial radio....