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Category: Over The Top Services

  • Rural India propels India’s digital revolution: Kantar’s ICUBE report

    Rural India propels India’s digital revolution: Kantar’s ICUBE report

    MUMBAI: Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company, released its ICUBET 2019 report on digital adoption and usage trends in India. The annual tracking study; considered to be the currency for digital adoption in the country, gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity and device segments. 

    Key findings:

    ·    Estimated at 574 million, the number of monthly active Internet users has registered an annual growth of 24 per cent indicating an overall penetration of 41 per cent.

    ·    The report projects 11 per cent growth for 2020; estimates 639 million monthly active Internet users 

    Active Internet User
    Estimated Growth Rate     — 11 per cent

    ·2019

    ·574 Million

    ·2020 (estimated)

    ·639 Million

    ·    All monthly active Internet users use a mobile phone as one of the devices to access the Internet

    Entertainment moves online

    As per the ICUBETM 2019 report, about 84 per cent users access the Internet for entertainment purposes. 2019 witnessed a surge in OTT, both audio and video, probably driven by original contents and cricket (both IPL and Cricket world cup streamed on OTT Platforms). Convenience of content availability across devices and on the go low cost Internet service resulted in a significant growth in the entertainment consumption in the last year. This is expected to continue in 2020 too, especially in view of the lockdown.

    More children on the Internet than ever before

    At 38 per cent, school going children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown a promising growth on the internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.

    Content availability drives the surge in daily usage

    Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage. ICUBETM 2019 reports a growth of more than 60 per cent in the daily Internet users in the last one year; almost 9 out of 10 active internet users were accessing the internet daily owing to entertainment and communication needs.

    Rural masses continue to propel India’s digital revolution

    India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45 per cent growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020. Local language and video are the underlying factors for the internet boom in rural. The rural population has finally crossed the point of a chasm by embracing the Internet in a big way, resulting in a 2.5X growth in penetration in the last 4 years.  

    Looking ahead:

    ·    Children and housewives will be the new Internet adopters in the next year or two. Most of these users already have Internet at home, and it will be more about breaking the mindset barriers to access the web. With the availability of curated content for these groups, the adoption will be considerably faster amongst these segments.

    ·    Video, Voice and Vernacular (3 Vs) will be significant usage factors for the Internet users. These will drive higher engagement and frequency of usage, thereby, helping the users mature in their Internet journey.

    ·    IOT and Smart Devices will make the internet as much a household phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon. 

    Puneet Avasthi, senior director, Insights Division, Kantar, said: “The latest edition of Kantar ICUBE 2019 report shows that the digital base in India has achieved a strong growth with the addition of over 112 million users last year. The new decade is expected to witness the next wave of Digital India aided by the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has catalysed the speed at which the already connected consumer is getting further connected with devices, payments, e-medicine, etc. Kantar’s ICUBETM 2019 report gives a front-line view of the digital adoption and its growth drivers, thereby providing marketers the key insights necessary for formulating their marketing and communication strategies.”

    “The lockdown and social distancing have pushed users experiment with various digital solutions, some of them by desire while others due to compulsion. The comfort of accessing services and availing their benefits from the comfort of home in the times of social distancing will continue to push users to adopt and use multiple Internet services. Given this, the year 2020 is likely to see a tectonic shift in both Internet adoption and frequency of usage. OTT, Hyperlocal services, Social media and communication and Online Payments will be some key elements that will drive the impact,” said Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar.

    (Internet User is defined as anyone who has accessed the internet in the past one month)

    ICUBE is an annual syndicated study of Kantar to measure the reach and frequency of Internet usership in India. Launched in 1998, the study is in its 22nd year. ICUBE 2019 covered about 75,000 respondents across 390 cities and urban locations and about 1300+ villages. The study represents all states and Union Territories of India barring Lakshadweep. The data collection for the study was conducted between May to August 2019.

  • Disney+ reaches 54.5 mn subscribers; execs pleased with India launch

    Disney+ reaches 54.5 mn subscribers; execs pleased with India launch

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company (Disney) has witnessed a sharp fall in profit as a consequence of the Covid2019 pandemic. While the giant faced widespread disruption like many other organisations, it has one card in store: the newly launched streaming service Disney+. The streaming service is seeing a fast growth in subscribers, which now stands at 54.5 million as of 4 May. It seems shelter-in-place directive has worked in its favour as the service has added 21 million subscribers in less than two months.

    Disney senior executive vice president and chief financial officer Christine M McCarthy said in an earnings call that since they continued launches in several markets between quarter end and 5 May, the subscriber number has also increased reaching 54.5 million. She also added the subscriber mix reflects the same as it did on 8 April when they announced that the service surpassed 50 million subscribers globally.

    "At our direct-to-consumer international segment, operating losses were $427 million higher due to the cost incurred for the online launch of Disney+ around the world and consolidation of Hulu. Disney+ launched in the number of European markets in the world which contributed to a total paid subscriber base of 33.5 million at the end of the quarter and we are very happy with our successful rollout in Western Europe and India where we converted our pre-existing subscription base Hotstar service to Disney+Hotstar,” she added. In India, it already accounts for approximately eight million subscribers as per numbers shared last month.

    The new Disney CEO Bob Chapek, for whom it was the first earnings, also expressed his ecstasy over the successful rollout in Western Europe and India. “We have been thrilled with the performance of Disney+. Since our initial launch in November, we have continued to expand in other markets. In late march as planned, despite Covid2019, we had an incredible launch in Western Europe followed by a highly successful launch in India,” he added. While in India it was scheduled to launch during the billion-dollar sports event IPL to exploit the Hotstar user base, it launched around scheduled time despite the suspension of the tournament.

    “The Hotstar service in India was converted to Disney+ Hotstar, resulting in approximately eight million additional Disney+ paid subscribers. In general, wholesale arrangements have a lower average monthly revenue per paid subscriber than subscribers that we acquire directly or through third party platforms like Apple. In addition, the average monthly revenue per paid subscriber for Disney+ Hotstar is significantly lower than the average monthly revenue per paid subscriber in North America and Europe,” The Walt Disney Company said in a regulatory filing.

    Disney’s overall average monthly revenue per paid subscriber for the second quarter stood at $5.63. 

    "As we will use our branded film and television content on the Disney+ service, we are forgoing certain licensing revenue from the sale of this content to third parties in TV/SVOD markets. In addition, we are increasing programming and production investments to create exclusive content for Disney+," it added in the regulatory filing.

    Chapek added that the streaming service will begin rolling out in Japan in June, followed by Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal in September and Latin America towards the end of the year. He promised that the vast collection of libraries in regional content available will continue to grow. He added that they will continue to make the planned investment that they always had into programming to drive subscription rate and retention.

  • Delhi High Court refuses to stay streaming of Netflix series ‘Hasmukh’

    Delhi High Court refuses to stay streaming of Netflix series ‘Hasmukh’

    MUMBAI: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking an ad-interim injunction restraining the streaming of the episodes of the web series Hasmukh.

    The application against the series was filed by lawyer Ashutosh Dubey, who charged that its fourth episode contained derogatory remarks against the lawyer community.

    The series, starring Vir Das, Ranvir Shorey and others, has been produced and owned by Applause Entertainment.

    The web series is a dark comedy thriller revolving around a fictional character named ‘Hasmukh’ (Vir Das), an aspiring comedian and the protagonist. The protagonist in the series possesses a unique compulsion to kill people just before his on-stage stand-up act, which enables him to give a great performance and specifically relates his stand-up comedy act to the person he killed.

    Dubey took objection to the utterance of the protagonist during a stand-up comedy performance from the fourth episode of the web series. The lawyer alleged in his suit that the dialogues in the said scene are highly disparaging, defamatory and bring disrepute to the legal profession and lawyers in the eyes of the general public.

    Netflix lawyers argued that the web series is a work of fiction and explained to the court its brief plot line.

    The defense lawyers also submitted that a class of persons cannot be defamed as a class, nor can an individual be defamed by general reference to a class to which the individual belongs. So, they argued, the lawyers as a community cannot be defamed as a “class of persons”, nor can the plaintiff be defamed by a general reference to lawyers.

    The defendants also submitted that Article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian Constitution guaranteed the freedom of speech and expression which includes the creative freedom to express one's views and opinions and although the said right is not absolute since the present case would not qualify as defamation, it cannot be restricted.

    Dismissing the application for ad-interim injunction, the court observed that the impugned comment is satirical “with regard to the lawyers taken as a class and is not with regard to any determinate definite or identifiable group of lawyers."

    “Further, if an ad interim injunction is granted, it would amount to interference in the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by our constitution to the defendants,” stated the court.

    The very essence of democracy, observed the court, is that a creative artist is given the liberty to project the picture of the society in a manner he perceives. “One of the prime forms of exposing the ills of the society is by portraying a satirical picture of the same. Stand-up comedians perform that very purpose. In their portrayal they use satire and exaggerate the ills to an extent that it becomes a ridicule. In the humorous portrayal of the ills of the society the stand-up comedians use satire.”

    Applause Entertainment, the IP owner of the web series, was represented by senior counsel Sandeep Sethi, briefed by a team from ANM Global Inc comprising Nidhish Mehrotra, Anushree Rauta, Piyush Joshi and Chirag Luthria. 

  • Zee Studios head producer Abhishek Vyas joins Netflix India

    Zee Studios head producer Abhishek Vyas joins Netflix India

    MUMBAI: Zee Studios head producer Abhishek Vyas has moved on to join the Indian originals team at Netflix. Vyas will report directly to Netflix India original film director Aashish Singh.

    In his new role, he will work closely with directors, producers, writers and external creative team for new acquisitions and content development of projects.

    He has overseen the production of Manikarnika-The Queen of Jhansi and developed multiple projects including Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari among others during his stay at Zee Studios. He has also worked with Eros International and Star Network in previous stints.

    “From brand marketing at CNBC TV 18 and Star India to being a part of setting up a film studio at Eros International and now developing and producing films at Zee Studios, last 10 years have been like a roller coaster. The appetite to do a lot of different things, learn and make it large just keeps on increasing,” Vyas’s LinkedIn profile says. 

    With the increasing focus on Indian market, Netflix has roped in a number of local talents as well to strengthen its consumer understanding.

  • Dream Sports names Dev Bajaj as chief corporate development officer

    Dream Sports names Dev Bajaj as chief corporate development officer

    MUMBAI: Dream Sports, India’s sports technology company with brands such as Dream11, FanCode and DreamX, announced the appointment of Dev Bajaj as chief corporate development officer.

    In his new role, Bajaj will lead investments and drive global strategic partnerships in fantasy sports, sportstech, gaming and other opportunistic sectors. He will also work closely with leaders of the Dream Sports companies on future fundraising and strategic business planning.

    Dream Sports co-founder and chief executive officer Harsh Jain, says, “We are excited to have Dev onboard to lead our business expansion through investments and partnerships. Dev’s extensive and versatile experience as an investor and entrepreneur over the last decade will help us further build the sports ecosystem in India.”

    “I am sure that Dev will be invaluable in identifying strategic partners and scaling potential sports businesses. While Dream11 continues to grow rapidly, Dream Sports is hiring 250+ talented sport enthusiasts this year and actively expanding its portfolio of sports businesses. In the last year, we launched FanCode, a multi-sport aggregator platform with 15 million users already, and DreamX, a sports accelerator powering several new start-ups,” adds Jain.

    He has over 17 years of experience across entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity and investment banking. Prior to joining Dream Sports, he was a venture partner with Kalaari Capital evaluating and managing early-stage investments in a variety of sectors including fintech, gaming, sportstech, SAAS, and AgTech.

    As an entrepreneur, Bajaj successfully founded and built MITRA, which is now one of India’s successful AgTech start-ups. In 2018, Mahindra & Mahindra began acquiring MITRA. Before starting MITRA, Dev was at Paine Schwartz, a private equity firm in San Francisco and gained in-depth knowledge in investing in mid-stage buyout transactions.

    Bajaj says, “Dream11’s 80 million user base is a testament to the Indian sports fans’ desire for deeper and meaningful engagement with their favourite sports. This desire will drive growth in the Indian SportsTech sector over the next decade.”

    Bajaj adds, “With $5.5 billion invested in SportsTech in Asia, India leads the way with 40 per cent of all sports-tech startups in Asia, but has received less than 10 per cent of the funding. We believe there are multiple early and growth-stage investment opportunities for us within fantasy sports, gaming and the broader sports-tech ecosystem.”

    “I have a lot of respect for Harsh, Bhavit and our management team. We share a common passion with many entrepreneurs in India who want to help Indian Sports with disruptive technology. In my new role, I aim to ensure that start-ups and mid-stage companies find Dream Sports a valuable investor and partner,” adds Bajaj.

    Dev began his career with investment banking in the US.  Dev has an MBA from INSEAD and B.Sc. from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

  • Synamedia boosts investment in compression R&D

    Synamedia boosts investment in compression R&D

    MUMBAI: Synamedia, the world’s largest independent video software provider, today announced a boost to R&D investment in its groundbreaking compression technologies alongside a trio of senior appointments. With the adoption of 4K-ready devices and new broadcasting standards such as ATSC 3.0 supporting 4K and ultimately 8K streams over-the-air, Synamedia’s investment in compression will meet the growing need for advanced encoding technologies to deliver stunning low latency live experiences while optimizing bandwidth.

    Synamedia will focus on driving innovation in content-adaptive encoding including the use of neural networks. First previewed at IBC 2019, content-adaptive encoding uses automation and machine learning techniques and builds on Synamedia Digital Content Manager (DCM) with the award-winning Smart Rate Control for live ABR. Other initiatives will include new core video and audio algorithms, filtering noisy source content, and encoding optimization. With the goal of fully autonomous deployments in Synamedia’s sights, the analytics team will play a vital role in accelerating video network development by advancing the automation of video quality assessment and performance benchmarking.

    Synamedia’s compression team is now led by one of the industry’s foremost encoding experts, Jan De Cock, who has joined as Director of Codec Development. Jan’s entire career has been in the compression space, most recently at Netflix where he was Manager of Video and Image Encoding for four years. Prior to this, Jan was Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Information Systems at Ghent University in Belgium. He holds a PhD in Engineering, has authored dozens of academic papers on video compression, and holds patents in signal, image and video processing.

    Also joining the video network business as VP of services is John Hargrave, (pictured above), who was most recently CTO and COO at Zone·tv. With a specialism in software-as-a service, John spent four years at Ericsson as Vice President of Mediaroom Field Engineering then Vice President of Global Media Services. John also worked at Microsoft as General Manager for Mediaroom and at Telus as National Director of Professional Services.

    Rounding out the new hires, David Baranski joins as Vice President of Sales for Video Network, the Americas. Before his 18 months at Mediakind as VP of Sales for US Cable Operators, David spent six years with encoding specialist Envivio and then Ericsson, following its acquisition of Envivio in 2016. As VP of Sales for US cable operators at Ericsson, David headed up software compression and media delivery sales for the Americas.

    As well as supporting established codecs including MPEG-2, AVC and HEVC, Synamedia’s compression team is adding newer codecs such as AV1 and MPEG’s Versatile Video Coding codec (VVC). Last month Synamedia joined the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) to advance open standards for media compression and delivery over the web using AV1, furthering Synamedia’s goal of enhancing OTT video streaming experiences at scale.

    “These new hires are part of an initiative to accelerate customers’ journey to virtualized, software-based encoding for broadcast and OTT using DCM. Boosting our world-class team with such an experienced trio of video and compression experts will help us supercharge our ambitions and deliver top-notch solutions to customers faster,” said Julien Signes, senior VP and GM, Video Network at Synamedia.

    Synamedia’s video network portfolio powers premium quality broadcast and broadband video for more than 1,000 operators worldwide and 100 million daily viewers. Its video distribution, processing and delivery services and solutions create compelling live multi-screen experiences, enable software-defined video processing and unify operations. The award-winning portfolio also touts a cloud-ready, converged broadcast and broadband end-to-end ATSC 3.0 offering and low latency solutions for live video. Its virtualized Digital Content Manager (DCM) features live transcoding to multiple bit rates and formats, scalable video functions and best-in-class video quality all aimed to deliver infinite entertainment.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Airtel Thanks customers get free access to ZEE5 premium content

    Airtel Thanks customers get free access to ZEE5 premium content

    MUMBAI: Airtel Thanks customers will be able to access the entire catalogue of ZEE5 premium content without having to pay any subscription charges. ZEE5 and Bharti Airtel have been deepening their collaboration to bring best-in-class digital entertainment to customers in India. This special offer for Airtel Thanks customers will be available from 4 May, 2020 to July 12, 2020.

    Manpreet Bumrah, business development & commercial head, ZEE5 India, said: “ZEE5 is extremely happy to strengthen the relationship further with Airtel. ZEE5 is a complete entertainment destination with a depth of offerings across content types, genres and 12 languages which is hard to beat. Having established ourselves as an entertainment super-app of India, with the largest catalogue of content, we have captivated audiences across geographies and demographics. We are looking to expand our reach through this partnership with Airtel as we will leverage synergies between the brands and further bolster our presence across the country. We are certain that the plethora of choices we offer will keep the Airtel customers highly entertained throughout this summer.”

    Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer Shashwat Sharma said: “Airtel Thanks is now one of the largest REWARDS programs in India and offers a truly differentiated experience to our loyal customers. We are delighted to work with ZEE to bring high quality premium video content to our customers as part of the expanding Thanks Rewards.”

    As ZEE5 enters its third year of operations, the leading OTT platform in the country is looking to strengthen its relationships further. Airtel’s pool of audiences will allow ZEE5 to tap into an evolved customer base consuming content on the move.  While ZEE5 continues to partner with brands that are cutting-edge and best-in-class, the core focus of all alliances is to enable a seamless content viewing experience for consumers.

    Airtel Thanks is the flagship customer programme of Airtel as part of its strategy of winning with quality customers. The program is designed to deliver exclusive rewards and is tiered in its offering – Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each tier opens a whole new set of benefits for Airtel customers. The benefits are powered by Airtel’s strong partnerships, which go from premium content, device protection and much more.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Virginia Sharma joins JioSaavn as VP, brand solutions

    Virginia Sharma joins JioSaavn as VP, brand solutions

    Mumbai: Virginia Sharma has joined the largest streaming platform for South Asian music and audio entertainment JioSaavn, as vice president of brand solutions. Based out of JioSaavn’s Gurgaon office, Sharma will lead the company’s global digital ad monetization efforts across platforms. She will be responsible for driving adoption of JioSaavn’s innovative advertising solutions for brands, while overseeing agency and client relationships. 

    With more than 20 years of experience leading marketing and sales teams, Sharma joins JioSaavn from LinkedIn, where she excelled in the top 10 per cent of sales leaders. Virginia also worked with IBM for more than 15 years in various global and regional roles, including India vice president of marketing and communications before joining LinkedIn Asia Pacific in 2014. 

    In addition to an impressive track record at some of the world’s largest technology companies, Sharma is an industry leader in her own right. She was recognized on the 2018 Economic Times Women Ahead list, as well as Impact Top 50 Women in Marketing Media and Advertising in both 2018 (#38) and 2019 (#35). Sharma was also the first chairperson for the Marketing Society India Chapter and a member of the Global Advisory Board for UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce.  She was the first Indian leader to become a Marketing Academy Fellow delivered by McKinsey and Co. Sharma is currently pursuing her doctorate in Business Administration from Indian School of Business in Business Model Innovation.

    “I am excited to join the passionate and like-minded leadership team at JioSaavn, where music and people take center stage every day. Music is a lifelong companion; it evokes moments and memories, it’s a conduit for emotional expression; and it connects people of all ages and backgrounds. As a seasoned marketer and early JioSaavn user, I already recognize many opportunities for brands to find their voice on the JioSaavn platform, allowing them to engage and build loyalty with millions of consumers. Let’s play!” Sharma said about her new role. 

    Having worked in the US, Singapore, Japan and India, Sharma brings a truly global perspective to JioSaavn’s Brand Solutions team. Part of her new role will be finding innovative solutions that balance a great user experience, advertisers’ needs and respect for content creators. As a former marketer for many years, she is in a unique position to identify with brands looking to achieve a variety of different objectives to grow their businesses. 

    Vinodh Bhat, co-founder, president and chief strategy officer, JioSaavn, said about Sharma: “As the JioSaavn user base continues to grow, the company was ready for a strong, seasoned and passionate executive in our core market to scale our advertising business. Virginia is recognized as one of the top digital leaders in the country and set records at LinkedIn for monetization in India. She is an accomplished Marketer turned Sales Leader with the proven capability to understand marketer needs and create durable long-term solutions for them, applying a mix of business creativity and strong ad technology. In addition to her wealth of expertise and strategic understanding of the industry, she is also a great culture fit at JioSaavn. We are pleased to welcome her to the team and very excited to work together on this road ahead.”

    The on-boarding of Sharma is the latest in a few valuable additions to JioSaavn’s management team. Mihir Shah, VP of consumer revenue, joined the company last year from Hotstar, where he led product and marketing growth teams through the stellar growth in just two years. At JioSaavn, he leads the global consumer premium business and is already demonstrating similar traction. Under Shah’s leadership, a new version of JioSaavn Pro led to an organic 4x growth for JioSaavn’s paid subscriber base in 2019. 

  • Amazon Prime Video users nearly doubled in March 2020

    Amazon Prime Video users nearly doubled in March 2020

    MUMBAI: It's a trend worldwide that over-the-top (OTT) platforms have seen huge uptake in consumption under shelter-in-place directives due to the Covid2019 crisis. Amazon Prime Video is no exception. The streaming service segment of the e-commerce giant is also experiencing a lot more usage from prime subscribers. Moreover, it's the first time that users also nearly doubled in March. 

    “In March, the first time, viewers nearly doubled, which is I think a good thing for people when they are looking to stay entertained and see our video collection. It's also beyond just Prime Video, our channels and video rentals also went up as I'm sure others in the entertainment business saw that as well,” Amazon senior vice president and chief financial officer Brian T Olsavsky said in an earnings call.

    Olsavsky also mentioned that in the US, the UK and Germany movies are going direct to pay-per-view because of the lack of theatres and that was a good move by the team. It has been very well received and they have also made a lot of kids and family content available free to watch on Prime Video. He said that people are getting a better look at what's available with their Prime memberships other than shopping. 

    Additionally, users are finding more benefit from Alexa as they stay at home. They are listening to more music and asking many questions related to issues around Covid2019. Alexa is also being used for educational purposes for children. Moreover, it is being used a lot more on the communication side as people are using Alexa calling and drop in.

    “So I think the Prime story is that shopping is really important for people now, especially when those people can't leave their houses. I think the digital benefits are scaling well. I think they are handling the additional demand and it gives people a good time and reason to use all of their Prime benefits that maybe they hadn't used as much in the past,” he added. 

  • FanCode turns one as India’s first multi-sport aggregator platform, garners over 15 mn users

    FanCode turns one as India’s first multi-sport aggregator platform, garners over 15 mn users

    MUMBAI: FanCode has successfully completed one year with over 15 million app installs. Since its inception in March 2019, FanCode has partnered with some of the world’s biggest sports brands and events, it has brought sports content to India across 9 sports and over 50 sporting events.

    FanCode is a multi-sport aggregator platform from the house of Dream Sports. It has also launched the ‘fastest interactive live scores’ experience and comprehensive live streaming of long-tail sports and some premium cricket tournaments.

    In the last one year, FanCode has significantly enhanced the sports experience for fans by providing interactive data overlays during live streaming of a match, news on the sports industry across the globe, bite-sized video content like match highlight packages, chat with sports personalities in a new-age format, and expert opinions.

    The latest offering to the fastest live scores for cricket is now delivered with multimedia commentary. This is supplemented by interactive content and infographics for milestones achieved by players or teams during the match and also a detail-oriented ‘Live Blog’.

    Adjudged as the “Best Sports Startup” at FICCI India Sports Awards 2019, FanCode forged over 16 exclusive partnerships with leading global sports associations and leagues across sports such as cricket, football, kabaddi, basketball, volleyball, and even American football.

    Some of the key partners include The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Bangladesh Cricket Board for showcasing the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), National Football League (NFL) including the world’s biggest annual sporting event – the Super Bowl, and I-League. It also became the NBA's (National Basketball Association) first live streaming partner in India.

    FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco says, “We are thrilled at the tremendous progress that we have made in just a year. Over 15 million strong users in one year is an indication of how Indian sports fans are looking for deeper and comprehensive engagement with the sports they love.”

    “We plan to launch several innovative and exciting features for sports fans. We will also continue to build FanCode to provide the best-in-class experience that sports fans deserve even during a time when sports across the globe have come to a halt. The reliance on digital platforms to stay connected to sports has further increased acceptance for the platform, and we expect consumption of sports to reach its peak once live sports are back,” adds Colaco.

    FanCode co-founder Prasana Krishnan says, “The dependencies on digital mediums are significantly growing in sports over the years, thanks to the easy access to smartphones and cheaper data. The internet made access to interactive sports content a reality including live streaming, live scores, match analysis, fantasy research, which have been the strong pillars of growth over the year.”

    “To stay true to our objective of being the single destination of choice for the avid sports fans in India, we are all set for the next phase of growth with feature additions, right from e-commerce to fantasy research tools. Forging deep and direct fan relationships will be a crucial differentiator in the long run for the industry, and we are building this base for the next leap,” adds Krishnan.

    FanCode was launched in March 2019 to offer a broad spectrum of long-tail sports and contextual commerce providing comprehensive sports experience to avid sports fans in India. Dream Sports, a sports tech company, is the parent company of FanCode that also houses brands like Dream11 and DreamX.