In a big move that marks the fast convergence of sports, media and technology, Dream Sports has invested USD 50 million (~INR 428 crore) in Cricbuzz and Willow TV—two of the biggest cricket focused platforms globally, both owned by Times Internet.
This investment gives Dream Sports a minority stake in both and will supercharge the global cricket fan experience with real-time analytics, artificial intelligence, interactive streaming and e-commerce. Avendus Capital was the exclusive financial advisor for this deal.
Scale and Innovation
Cricbuzz has over 185 million monthly active users across 150+ countries and is the most visited cricket app and website globally. It has live scores, ball by ball commentary, in-depth analysis and multimedia content that is the heart of the digital cricket consumption ecosystem.
Willow TV is the official broadcaster of ICC events in the US and Canada till 2027 and streams over 1500 matches every year. It has recently expanded into the Middle East and Southeast Asia and is the biggest cricket broadcaster in non-traditional markets.
Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman of Times Internet said:
“Cricbuzz and Willow sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket every day. We’re excited to work with Dream Sports to reimagine and develop new ways to collaboratively create new experiences for cricket fans across the planet.”
Dream Sports: Building the Future of Sports Entertainment
Founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports has evolved into a sports-tech conglomerate with over 250 million users. Its portfolio includes Dream11 (fantasy sports), FanCode (sports streaming and commerce), DreamSetGo (sports travel experiences), Dream Game Studios (gaming), and Sixer (sports stock market).
Harsh Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Dream Sports, commented:
“Cricbuzz and Willow sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket every day. 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 company intends to implement product-level integrations that span AI-powered predictions, personalisation features, real-time statistics, immersive video streams, and in-app shopping—all aimed at transforming passive viewership into an interactive, community-driven experience.
Expanding Global Footprint Amid Regulatory Headwinds
The investment follows a string of strategic moves by Dream Sports to reinforce its global presence. Earlier this month, the company became a co-owner of English football club Salford City FC, joining a consortium that includes icons like David Beckham and Gary Neville. In March 2025, Dream Sports also completed a reverse merger to shift its domicile from Delaware, US, to India, becoming one of the early adopters of the Indian government’s fast-track route for cross-border mergers.
Despite all the growth, Dream Sports is still battling domestic regulatory issues. In October 2023, its flagship platform Dream11 was served a GST notice of INR 28,000 crore by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). With total claims of around INR 40,000 crore, the company’s legal and financial situation is complicated, especially since the Indian government has a 28% GST on all online games involving monetary stakes.
But Dream Sports still managed to record a 66% year-on-year growth in operating revenue to INR 6,384.5 crore in FY23 and 32% growth in net profit to INR 187.8 crore.
Reimagining Cricket’s Digital Future
This partnership isn’t just about numbers or market size—it’s a philosophical shift in how cricket is consumed in the digital age. From “Willow by Cricbuzz”, a platform we launched during the ICC T20 World Cup, to future developments in AI and interactive video, the foundation is being laid for a global, tech-enabled cricket consumption experience.
By combining Dream Sports’ technology and fanbase with Cricbuzz’s content and Willow TV’s broadcast, the three of us are going to chart a new course for global cricket engagement.