Latest news with #DreamSports
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First Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Everyone wants a piece of English football: Dream Sports, Ohanian latest to follow Ryan Reynolds' success
Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds' investment in Wrexham Football Club has proven to be a huge success, and more money is now flowing into English football — including from India's fantasy sports giant, Dream Sports. read more Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds' success in British football, where he has seen his investment grow multiple times, is attracting a lot of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNIs) and successful businesses to invest in the clubs in the region. The latest to join the bandwagon is Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis great Serena Williams, and India's fantasy sports and gaming major, Dream Sports. Ryan Reynolds bought Welsh football club Wrexham AFC with another Hollywood actor, Rob McElhenney, for £2 million in 2021. At that time, the club was in the National League, which is the fifth tier of English football. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With the financial and strategic help from Reynolds and some brilliant on-field coaching from Phil Parkinson, Wrexham have now secured three back-to-back promotions and will be playing in England's second division of the football pyramid next season. More from Football Reynolds' investment is also set to grow by 7,400% as Wrexham's . Joining the bandwagon, Ohanian, who is known for investing in women's sports teams, has acquired a 10% stake in Women's Super League champions Chelsea. 'I've bet big on women's sports before—and I'm doing it again,' Ohanian posted on X. 'I'm proud to announce that I'm joining Chelsea Women as an investor and board member. I'm honored for the chance to help this iconic club become America's favourite WSL team and much, much more.' Ohanian's investment of £20 million values the London-based club at about £200 million. The 42-year-old has a strong track record in women's sports, having been the largest shareholder of Angel City FC, a club he helped launch with much fanfare in 2020. The team was eventually sold in 2024 for £197 million. He also founded Athlos NYC, a women-only track and field event that debuted in September, awarding $60,000 to each winner. According to The Times, Ohanian and Serena Williams are expected to attend the Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, where Chelsea will face Manchester United. A new chapter begins for Dream Sports and @SalfordCityFC! We are thrilled to be a part of such an esteemed group of members! Led by football legends, David Beckham and @GNev2, and leaders including Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies, @SalfordCityFC's community of owners will… — Dream Sports (@DreamSportsHQ) May 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Joining the European football party is India's Dream Sports. Dream Sports, who are known for its fantasy sports platform Dream11, has joined the ownership group of English football club Salford City FC. Salford City's co-owners include football legends and former Manchester United players David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Salford City currently competes in League Two, which is the fourth tier of English football. While the exact investment form Dream Sports in Salford is still unknown, it seems like it will not be the end of money flowing into English football.
Entrepreneur
15-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Dream Sports to Invest USD 50 Mn in Cricbuzz and Willow TV to Enhance Global Cricket Fan Experience
Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor on the transaction. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a strategic move set to redefine digital cricket engagement, Dream Sports, India's leading sportstech company, announced a USD 50 million investment in Cricbuzz and Willow TV—two premier cricket media platforms owned by Times Internet. The partnership brings together the global reach of Cricbuzz, with over 185 million monthly users, and the broadcast strength of Willow TV, which streams over 1,500 matches annually across the US, Canada, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The goal: enhance fan experiences through AI, interactive content, and integrated commerce. "Cricbuzz and Willow sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket every day," said Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Internet. "We're excited to work with Dream Sports to reimagine and develop new ways to collaboratively create new experiences for cricket fans." Dream Sports, which boasts over 250 million users across brands like Dream11, FanCode, and DreamSetGo, sees this as a natural extension of its mission to deepen fan engagement. "Dream Sports' mission is to 'Make Sports Better' for Indian sports fans," said Harsh Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Dream Sports. "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 deal not only strengthens Dream Sports' content and distribution network but also underscores the growing convergence of sports media and tech in creating immersive fan journeys. Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor on the transaction. Cricbuzz is the most visited cricket app and website globally, delivering scores, commentary, and analysis. Willow TV, on the other hand, is the official broadcaster for international cricket in North America. Combined, they serve fans across more than 150 countries. This investment sets the stage for a powerful collaboration at the intersection of sport, media, and technology, with fans poised to benefit the most.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
1mg's offline push; cyberattacks on the rise
1mg's offline push; cyberattacks on the rise Also in the letter: 1mg readies brick-and-mortar push ahead of external funding Driving the news: 1mg is expanding its offline presence from 110 stores presently to 3,000 in five years. Tata Digital, which owns 67% of 1mg, last backed it in a $40 million rights issue in 2022. FY25 revenue is estimated at Rs 2,500-2,600 crore, up 30-35%; cash burn stands at Rs 180-200 crore. Tell me more: Revenue has tripled since FY21 (Rs 309 crore) to Rs 1,968 crore in FY24; net loss fell 75% to Rs 313 crore. 70% of revenue now comes from e-pharmacy, e-diagnostics, and consultation. Offline stores and disease-focused 'full-stack' care models (starting with obesity and cancer) are now in play. 1mg is also teaming up with BigBasket for last-mile delivery amid rising competition from Apollo, PharmEasy, and quick commerce players. Quote, unquote: Also Read: Cybercriminals look to capitalise on India-Pakistan tensions No pros: The MO: Yes, but: Dream11 parent to invest $50 million in Times Internet's Cricbuzz and Willow TV Deal details: Dream Sports will acquire a strategic minority stake in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, which collectively have 185 million monthly users across more than 150 countries. The investment will create new opportunities for fan experiences, given that the companies intend to collaborate and provide Cricbuzz's audience with more real-time analysis and statistics, engagement and commerce integrations, and AI-driven predictions. Quote, unquote: Beyond Cricket: Dream Sports, which also operates Dream11, FanCode, and DreamSetGo, has been expanding its presence beyond India. Earlier this month, it joined the ownership group of Salford City FC, part of a consortium led by football icons David Beckham and Gary Neville. In March, Dream Sports completed a reverse merger, shifting its domicile from the US to India. Other Top Stories By Our Reporters SoftBank posts first annual profit in four years, but Ola and Swiggy weigh on Vision Fund 2 in Q4: Microsoft to lay off thousands to streamline management: Report | Flipkart's SVP Ankit Jain likely to join Swiggy Instamart as COO: PayU gets final nod from RBI to process online business payments: Global Picks We Are Reading Happy Wednesday! Tata Digital's epharmacy, 1mg, is looking to expand its offline presence amid talks of fresh funding. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.■ Dream Sports invests in Cricbuzz, Willow TV■ Ola, Swiggy weigh on SoftBank■ Flipkart's leadership churnPrashant Tandon, CEO, 1mgOnline pharmacy 1mg is looking to expand its offline presence amid talks of an external funding round, people in the know told ET. To this end, 1mg is seeking to raise $300 million in external funding.'Several new initiatives are underway, and offline expansion will be a key part of our growth strategy going forward,' said 1mg founder and chief executive officer Prashant Tandon. He added, 'We aspire to become a truly omnichannel, integrated healthcare company and are well on our way to achieving that vision.'A spike in cyberattacks has followed the India-Pakistan conflict, with over 100 incidents reported in just a week. Foreign 'digital tourists' and hacktivist groups from Morocco, Bangladesh, Iraq and Palestine have targeted the Indian government and private attackers are 'script kiddies' or amateurs using pre-built tools for distributed denial of service (DDoS), phishing, and website defacement. Groups like SYLHET-GANG-SG and Team Azrael claimed major data breaches, but experts debunked them as recycled or this conflict, the use of fake AI-generated letters (which strikingly look similar to official letterheads) and videos has become more prominent. These are more often than not spread via WhatsApp and Telegram to manipulate sentiment and steal is one real threat, coming from across the border: APT36 (aka Transparent Tribe), a Pakistan-linked espionage group, has launched malware 'payload' attacks on defence systems. Last week, ET reported about three such company Dream Sports has acquired a strategic minority stake in cricket media platform Cricbuzz and North America's leading cricket broadcaster, Willow Sports has invested $50 million in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet -- the digital media arm of The Times of India Group, which publishes The Economic Times.'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,' said Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Sports CEO Harsh Jain added, 'With this investment, 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.'Masayoshi Son, CEO, SoftBankJapanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group booked an investment loss of $708 million for its Vision Fund 2 in the January–March quarter, citing the poor performance of Indian listed stocks as a key factor.A company spokesperson told CNBC that the fresh layoffs, meant "to reduce layers of management" , will affect 3% of its workforce. Microsoft had a headcount of 228,000 last June, which puts the number of affected employees in the neighbourhood at 7, Jain, senior vice president (SVP) at ecommerce platform Flipkart, is likely to join quick commerce firm Swiggy Instamart as chief operating officer (COO), replacing its current SVP and COO, Sairam Krishnamurthy, according to people in the RBI granted the licence on May 13 . This comes more than a year after the Prosus-backed firm received the banking regulator's in-principle approval to operate this business. It has started onboarding new merchants since then.■ An $8.4 billion Chinese hub for crypto crime is incorporated in Colorado ( Wired ■ Investors back start-ups aiding copyright deals to AI groups ( FT ■ Google's bringing Gemini to your car with Android Auto ( TechCrunch
Economic Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
1mg's offline push; cyberattacks on the rise
Happy Wednesday! Tata Digital's epharmacy, 1mg, is looking to expand its offline presence amid talks of fresh funding. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch. Also in the letter: ■ Dream Sports invests in Cricbuzz, Willow TV ■ Ola, Swiggy weigh on SoftBank■ Flipkart's leadership churn 1mg readies brick-and-mortar push ahead of external funding Prashant Tandon, CEO, 1mg Online pharmacy 1mg is looking to expand its offline presence amid talks of an external funding round, people in the know told ET. To this end, 1mg is seeking to raise $300 million in external funding. Driving the news: 1mg is expanding its offline presence from 110 stores presently to 3,000 in five years. Tata Digital, which owns 67% of 1mg, last backed it in a $40 million rights issue in 2022. FY25 revenue is estimated at Rs 2,500-2,600 crore, up 30-35%; cash burn stands at Rs 180-200 crore. Tell me more: Revenue has tripled since FY21 (Rs 309 crore) to Rs 1,968 crore in FY24; net loss fell 75% to Rs 313 crore. 70% of revenue now comes from e-pharmacy, e-diagnostics, and consultation. Offline stores and disease-focused 'full-stack' care models (starting with obesity and cancer) are now in play. 1mg is also teaming up with BigBasket for last-mile delivery amid rising competition from Apollo, PharmEasy, and quick commerce players. Quote, unquote: 'Several new initiatives are underway, and offline expansion will be a key part of our growth strategy going forward,' said 1mg founder and chief executive officer Prashant Tandon. He added, 'We aspire to become a truly omnichannel, integrated healthcare company and are well on our way to achieving that vision.' Also Read: Tata's billion-dollar bet: BigBasket and 1mg set for $1.3 billion cash surge Cybercriminals look to capitalise on India-Pakistan tensions A spike in cyberattacks has followed the India-Pakistan conflict, with over 100 incidents reported in just a week. Foreign 'digital tourists' and hacktivist groups from Morocco, Bangladesh, Iraq and Palestine have targeted the Indian government and private infrastructure. No pros: Most attackers are 'script kiddies' or amateurs using pre-built tools for distributed denial of service (DDoS), phishing, and website defacement. Groups like SYLHET-GANG-SG and Team Azrael claimed major data breaches, but experts debunked them as recycled or fake. The MO: During this conflict, the use of fake AI-generated letters (which strikingly look similar to official letterheads) and videos has become more prominent. These are more often than not spread via WhatsApp and Telegram to manipulate sentiment and steal data. Yes, but: There is one real threat, coming from across the border: APT36 (aka Transparent Tribe), a Pakistan-linked espionage group, has launched malware 'payload' attacks on defence systems. Last week, ET reported about three such attempts. Dream11 parent to invest $50 million in Times Internet's Cricbuzz and Willow TV Gaming company Dream Sports has acquired a strategic minority stake in cricket media platform Cricbuzz and North America's leading cricket broadcaster, Willow TV. Deal details: Dream Sports has invested $50 million in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet -- the digital media arm of The Times of India Group , which publishes The Economic Times . Why it matter: Dream Sports will acquire a strategic minority stake in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, which collectively has 185 million monthly users across more than 150 countries. The investment will create new opportunities for fan experiences, given that the companies intend to collaborate and provide Cricbuzz's audience with more real-time analysis and statistics, engagement and commerce integrations, and AI-driven predictions. Quote, unquote: '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,' said Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, Times Sports CEO Harsh Jain added, 'With this investment, 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.' Beyond Cricket: Also Read: Mixed reality content startup Flam raises $14 million from RTP Global, others Other Top Stories By Our Reporters Masayoshi Son, CEO, SoftBank SoftBank posts first annual profit in four years, but Ola and Swiggy weigh on Vision Fund 2 in Q4: Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group booked an investment loss of $708 million for its Vision Fund 2 in the January–March quarter, citing the poor performance of Indian listed stocks as a key factor. Microsoft to lay off thousands to streamline management: Report | A company spokesperson told CNBC that the fresh layoffs, meant "to reduce layers of management", will affect 3% of its workforce. Microsoft had a headcount of 228,000 last June, which puts the number of affected employees in the neighbourhood at 7,000. Flipkart's SVP Ankit Jain likely to join Swiggy Instamart as COO: Ankit Jain, senior vice president (SVP) at ecommerce platform Flipkart, is likely to join quick commerce firm Swiggy Instamart as chief operating officer (COO), replacing its current SVP and COO, Sairam Krishnamurthy, according to people in the know. PayU gets final nod from RBI to process online business payments: The RBI granted the licence on May 13. This comes more than a year after the Prosus-backed firm received the banking regulator's in-principle approval to operate this business. It has started onboarding new merchants since then. Global Picks We Are Reading ■ An $8.4 billion Chinese hub for crypto crime is incorporated in Colorado (Wired) ■ Investors back start-ups aiding copyright deals to AI groups (FT) ■ Google's bringing Gemini to your car with Android Auto (TechCrunch) Updated On May 14, 2025, 07:28 AM IST
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Dream11 parent to invest $50 million in Times Internet's Cricbuzz and Willow TV
Mumbai-based gaming company Dream Sports has invested $50 million (around Rs 427 crore) in cricket media platform Cricbuzz and North American cricket broadcaster Willow TV , both owned by Times Internet , the companies said in a news release on Tuesday. With this investment, Dream Sports will pick a strategic minority interest in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, which collectively have 185 million monthly users across more than 150 countries. 'Cricbuzz and Willow sit at the heart of how hundreds of millions of fans follow cricket everyday,' Times Internet vice chairman Satyan Gajwani said. '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.' In March 2023, Willow TV secured rights to broadcast International Cricket Council events in the US and Canada until the end of 2027, extending a partnership that began in 2016. ETtech Live Events Willow TV, the largest cricket broadcaster in North America, streams more than 1,500 live matches each year to users in the US and Canada, and has also expanded its broadcast footprint into a leading cricket broadcast platform for the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Dream Sports' investment in Cricbuzz and Willow TV will create new opportunities for fan experiences, the statement said, adding that the companies intend to collaborate to provide more real-time analysis and statistics, engagement and commerce integrations, and AI-driven predictions to Cricbuzz's audience. Times Internet is the digital arm of The Times of India Group, which publishes The Economic Times. Dream Sports cofounder and CEO Harsh Jain said, '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.' Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the transaction. With 200 million users, Dream Sports, which operates the fantasy platform Dream11, has been expanding its presence beyond India. Earlier this month, it joined the ownership group of English football club Salford City FC , becoming part of a consortium led by footballing icons David Beckham and Gary Neville, alongside business leaders Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies. The company also runs sports content and commerce platform FanCode and experiential sports travel platform DreamSetGo. On March 31, ET reported that Dream Sports had shifted its domicile from the US to India through a reverse merger, becoming one of the first new-age firms to use the fast-track route for cross-border mergers.
