Staff productivity will nosedive during the eight weeks of the Cricket World Cup, predicts Marshal's Threat Research and Content Engineering (TRACE) Team, costing Australian businesses up to $371 million in lost productivity.
Cricket fans are gearing up for 51 games of international test cricket that will be played over 39 days "” 27 of which are working days.
This year's coverage will include expanded live broadcasting of the games on the web, making it easier for fans to watch than ever before.
The increasing use of internet-based interactive live content will see fans tuning in to content in new ways, from live webcasts, analysis and predictions to astrology, quizzes, contests and web logs via their desktops.
This could cause a significant drop in productivity as employees check the internet during working hours. It could also compromise IT service as they download videos and interactive scoreboards, eating up valuable bandwidth.
"Cricket is one of the nation's greatest sporting passions and Australian cricket fans are renowned for their devotion," Nick Hawkins, vice-president of Marshal Asia Pacific, said.
"Employers need to be prepared to set policies for acceptable internet use. By implementing policies to limit internet access to certain sites to lunchtime, and before and after working hours, companies are able to control productivity and corporate bandwidth issues," he said.
