Dream Sports Invests $50 Million in Cricbuzz and Willow TV to Revolutionize Cricket Fan Experience
In a significant move, Dream Sports, the parent company of India's leading fantasy sports platform Dream11, has made a strategic investment of $50 million in Times Internet-owned cricket content platform Cricbuzz and North American broadcaster Willow TV. This substantial investment aims to create a more immersive and engaging digital experience for cricket fans worldwide through deeper collaboration across content, technology, and commerce.
As part of the agreement, Dream Sports has acquired a minority stake in both Cricbuzz and Willow TV. The partnership is designed to leverage the distinct strengths of each entity: Dream Sports' extensive user base of over 250 million and its expertise in sports technology; Cricbuzz's position as a leading global digital destination for comprehensive live scores, news, and analysis with over 185 million monthly active users across more than 150 countries; and Willow TV's significant broadcast reach, particularly in the crucial North American market where it holds exclusive rights to International Cricket Council (ICC) events until 2027.
The collaboration is expected to drive significant synergies, combining content, community, and commercial opportunities to shape the future of digital sports consumption. The companies plan to jointly develop innovative features and integrations designed to bring fans closer to the game, including enhanced real-time analytics and statistics, interactive streaming experiences, integrated commerce opportunities, and AI-powered predictions and personalisation across their platforms.
Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman of Times Internet, expressed his excitement about the investment and said that Cricbuzz and Willow "sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket every day." He added that the partnership aims to create new ways to collaborate and develop experiences for cricket fans globally.
Harsh Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Dream Sports, stated, "Dream Sports' mission is to 'Make Sports Better' for Indian sports fans. Cricbuzz and Dream11 have worked together for over a decade, and with this investment, all cricket fans can expect much more fan engagement, interactive streams, and integrated commerce experiences that will bring them closer to the action and to each other."
The $50 million infusion will specifically facilitate product-level integrations and joint initiatives aimed at delivering a more immersive and engaging digital environment for cricket enthusiasts globally. Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Times Internet for this transaction.
This strategic investment follows Dream Sports' recent moves, including its participation in the ownership group of English football club Salford City FC and the shifting of its domicile back to India. The deal further solidifies Dream Sports' position as a leading sports technology company in India and its expansion into key markets globally.