Starsports.com launches a video replay feature on Twitter

The product knits together video content with conversations on Twitter. The first experiment for Tweeplay is the Pepsi IPL Playoffs, where Starsports.com uses Tweeplay to provide Twitter video replays.

TenTenTen, a company which builds digital assets for brands, has come together with Starsports and Twitter to create Tweeplay, one of the first ever on-demand video replay products for Twitter in the world.

The product knits together video content with conversations on Twitter and is an important break-through for brands and marketers looking for ways to contextually and unobtrusively engage with their audience on the social network. The first experiment for Tweeplay is the Pepsi IPL Playoffs where Starsports.com uses Tweeplay to provide Twitter video replays.

The Pepsi IPL has been keenly followed on a ball-by-ball basis by fans on Twitter with almost all matches trending nationally on the social network. A user who has for some reason missed an important moment like a six or a wicket, can now get a replay of the event on Twitter.

Tweeplay has been created by TenTenTen, a company that builds digital assets for brands. Tweeplays will be offered for all fours, sixes and wickets, and can be easily obtained by tweeting to @StarSportsIndia.

This unique experience on Twitter will be available during the IPL playoff matches right up to the Final on June 1.

Fans can avail of instant replays by following @StarSportsIndia on Twitter. They will receive a reply with an appropriate set of commands that they can use to demand specific highlight videos of the match. They can then tweet with the specific command and receive a real-time reply from @StarSportsIndia with the highlight video, such as @StarSportsIndia #StarSportsTweeplay Dhoni 6.

Let's say a Twitter user wants to see Pollard's last six. All he has to do is tweet "@StarSportsIndia #StarSportsTweeplay Pollard 6" and in a few minutes, he will get a reply from @StarSportsIndia with a video of Pollard's last six, that he can watch within the Tweet. For a batsman, one can see the last four, last six or dismissal. For a bowler, one can see the last wicket (or specific type of wicket like bowled/lbw). For a fielder, one can see the last catch or run-out.

Ajit Mohan, head, digital business, STAR India, says, "STAR Sports has always strived to innovate on digital and we are excited to partner with Twitter to debut this one-of-a-kind offering which empowers fans to pick and watch sports moments of their choice. This is an experiment and could potentially be a path breaking accompaniment to the Starsports.com experience. We have had more than 50 million visits on IPL to date and introducing this innovation at the Playoffs is a great way to sign off on the tournament."

TenTenTen has offered Tweeplay as a service to Starsports.com for the Pepsi IPL Playoffs. TenTenTen will manage the technology and product, right from identifying and interpreting a user's request, to delivering the video playing card on Twitter. The company, incidentally, has also created and manages the hugely popular IPL Fantasy League.

Ramesh Srivats, MD and CEO, TenTenTen, states, "Tweeplay is a great way for media houses to offer snack-sized content on-demand in Twitter. A lot of Twitter conversations are centred on prime-time moments. Tweeplay will enable content marketers to engage deeply with those who are immersed in conversations around content by providing the context in the form of the video. This is a great tool for marketers to engage with their audiences by providing genuine value."

Aneesh Madani, head of sports, Twitter India, comments, "For sports fans, one of the joys of using Twitter is to discover great content and re-live the best moments of the match. Tweeplay adds a delightful twist to this experience by giving Twitter users the choice to tweet and demand video replays, like their own customised highlight reel. We are investing in making sports more 'Twittery' in India and by bringing this unique product to life, TenTenTen and Starsports.com have set a benchmark for innovation on the platform."