Dream Sports to invest $50M in Cricbuzz and Willow TV to boost global cricket engagement
The partnership aims to “super-charge" global cricket fan experiences through real-time analytics, interactive streams, commerce integrations, and artificial intelligence-powered personalisation.
Dream Sports, the developer of the fantasy sports app Dream 11, will invest $50 million in cricket media and broadcasting platforms Cricbuzz and Willow TV.
Dream Sports is home to brands such as Dream11 and FanCode, while Cricbuzz is a popular website for live scores and cricket commentary. Willow TV is a cricket broadcaster in North America.
The strategic minority investment aims to “super-charge" global cricket fan experiences through real-time analytics, interactive streams, commerce integrations, and artificial intelligence-powered personalisation, according to a statement.
“Cricbuzz and Willow sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket everyday,” said Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet, which owns both Cricbuzz and Willow TV.
"We’re excited to work with Dream Sports to reimagine and develop new ways to collaboratively create new experiences for cricket fans,” Gajwani added.
Cricbuzz currently has over 185 million monthly users across 150+ countries and the brand is reportedly searched 27% more than the term 'cricket' itself.
Willow TV streams more than 1,500 live matches every year across the United States and Canada and has extended its global presence to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Founded in 2008, Mumbai-based Dream Sports claims to have over 250 million users across its portfolio of digital sports platforms.
Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Times Internet for the transaction. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
DreamSports is one of the new co-owners of English football club Salford City FC. The company has joined a consortium led by football icons David Beckham and Gary Neville. The consortium has pledged to invest significantly in Salford City’s squad, facilities, and other broader infrastructure.
Ownership of the football club has been organised under a members' club model, comprising nine stakeholders. Among them are Dream Sports Group and Shravin Mittal, the founder of investment firm Unbound.
Edited by Swetha Kannan