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Tag: Dream Sports

  • VIP gets a Multiples makeover as Piramal family packs up stake

    VIP gets a Multiples makeover as Piramal family packs up stake

    MUMBAI: After decades at the top of the luggage chain, VIP Industries is zipping into a new era. In a strategic shake-up that marks the end of an era and the start of a fresh chapter, the Piramal family has signed a definitive agreement to offload up to 32 per cent of its stake in VIP Industries to a consortium led by Multiples Private Equity. The deal will see control of Asia’s largest luggage maker shift to the new investors, triggering a mandatory open offer worth a whopping Rs 1,437.78 crore for an additional 26 per cent stake at Rs 388 per share.

    While the sale hands over the reins, it’s not a full goodbye, the Piramal family will remain shareholders, with Dilip Piramal stepping into the role of chairman emeritus. “This is a pivotal moment for VIP. With Multiples stepping in, we’re setting the wheels in motion to reclaim our leadership in the Indian luggage market,” said Piramal.

    Multiples, known for backing big-name disruptors like Delhivery, Licious, and Dream Sports, now adds another heavyweight to its portfolio. “We see enormous potential in VIP’s legacy and brand value,” said Multiples founder and CEO Renuka Ramnath. “This is not just a transaction, it’s a transformation play.”

    As per the open offer filing, Multiples and co-investors including Samvibhag Securities, Mithun and Siddhartha Sacheti, will collectively acquire up to 4.54 crore shares, translating to a 31.89 per cent stake. If fully subscribed, the open offer alone could cost them over Rs 1,437 crore in cash.

    The deal values VIP Industries at more than Rs 5,500 crore and includes a shareholder agreement that allows Multiples to take over management control. It is subject to approval from the Competition Commission of India and will be executed in line with SEBI’s takeover code. Legal advisors on the deal include AZB & Partners for the Piramal family, and Khaitan & Co for Multiples.

    Founded in 1971, VIP Industries has sold over 100 million pieces of luggage and commands a presence in 45 countries. Its brands VIP, Skybags, Carlton, Aristocrat, and Caprese are household names. But the past few years haven’t been baggage-free, with stiff competition and changing travel habits weighing down growth.

    This strategic sale could help VIP travel light again. With Multiples now in the driving seat and a fresh burst of private equity fuel, the legacy brand is gearing up for its next long-haul flight.

  • Dream Sports and Microsoft team up to play hard in India’s gaming market

    Dream Sports and Microsoft team up to play hard in India’s gaming market

    MUMBAI: Dream Sports is putting on its game face with Microsoft. At the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves) 2025 in Mumbai, the sports tech powerhouse inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the American software giant in a bid to supercharge India’s booming gaming industry.

    The tie-up will explore local publishing opportunities for Microsoft’s global gaming portfolio, while co-developing AI-fuelled innovations tailored to Indian tastes. The goal: build cutting-edge online experiences for the country’s 600 million-strong gamer base.

    Dream Sports co-founder & chief executive Harsh Jain said, “We are eager to build innovative & future ready experiences by leveraging Microsoft’s deep technical & AI expertise along with our base of 250 million Indian users. We look forward to working together to redefine the future of online gaming in India.”

    Microsoft India  and south Asia president Puneet Chandok echoed the enthusiasm: “We are excited to explore a collaboration with Dream Sports, leveraging their vast ecosystem of 250 million users. Together, Microsoft and Dream Sports aim to elevate the Indian gaming landscape by tailoring it to local needs and delivering transformative AI-driven experiences”

    The partnership lands as India’s gaming market hits a high score—$3.8 billion in FY24, with mobile users leading the charge. More than 66 per cent of gamers now hail from non-metro cities, and 44 per cent are women, according to the Leveling Up: State of India Interactive report.

    With cheap data, smartphone ubiquity, and growing backing from investors and policymakers alike, India is no longer just a player—it’s becoming the arena.

    Game on.

  • Dream 11’s IPL technology challenge

    Dream 11’s IPL technology challenge

    MUMBAI: IPL 2025  Day One. The much hyped and awaited opener between RCB and KKR is about to begin. The Dream Sports War Room – as the tech hub has been labelled – is a hustle-bustle of activity. Energy levels are high, there’s tension in the air amongst all the engineers and product managers who have stationed themselves in the office for the cracker of a match that’s about to go on air. 

    Viewer engagement expectations on the Dream 11 app  are higher than ever following the merger of JioCinema and Disney Hotstar into this behemoth streamer called JioHotstar with a subscription base of 60 million.
    Even before the first ball has been bowled fantasy players by the millions have started their game play on Dream 11. 

    At the centre of it all is Dream Sports chief technology officer Amit Sharma  – the commander of the nerve centre that keeps millions of cricket fans connected—come traffic surge or system meltdown. Like the captain of a ship sailing through a turbulent sea he retains his calm so that he can steer his charge safely through the storm.  

    “IPL isn’t just a cricket tournament; it’s a digital gladiatorial arena,” Sharma explained on Linkedin. ” We’re all hands on deck, I really mean it. Every team works in tandem to make it bigger and better than the previous season! While the event lasts just for a couple of months, we prepare by making our systems more robust throughout the year. There’s a lot that goes behind stitching the most seamless experience for our users – from coming on the app, selecting a contest to making their dream team and real-time leader boards – it’s truly a journey. On top of our mind is the fact that we’re not just hosting an app; we’re managing a national digital phenomenon that can spike to 700 million requests per minute. “

    And how does the engineering team manage to keep the app in good enough shape  despite the killer load that piles up when the league gathers steam? 

    Before the first ball is bowled, Sharma’s team conducts a “service operational maturity assessment” (SOMA)—a forensic examination of over 100 critical services. Engineers run what can only be described as digital stress tests: benchmarks that would make Silicon Valley veterans break into a sweat. Chaos tests and real-world load simulations are pressured on the system to fine-tune applications and infrastructure.

    “We’re not just testing; we’re essentially performing open-heart surgery on our digital infrastructure,” he quips. Some systems receive targeted upgrades, while others undergo complete architectural metamorphosis.

    A key tool that streamlines the massive inflow of online players is “Scaler”, Dream Sports’ in-house traffic 
    management marvel. This system doesn’t just respond to traffic—it anticipates it. Predictive models allocate resources before traffic spikes can even think about overwhelming the system.

    The war room’s crown jewels? Two razor-sharp monitoring systems:

    1. Watch Commander (WACO): A real-time performance sentinel that catches anomalies faster than a fielder’s lightning-quick catch.

    2. Pulse: A user interaction tracker that identifies potential glitches before they can say “out.”

    Behind every algorithmic prediction and system upgrade is a team of engineers who treat digital resilience like a cricket strategy—meticulously planned, ruthlessly executed. Dream Sports’ incident management system stands ready, a digital emergency response unit primed to tackle any unforeseen technological yorkers.
    Each IPL season is more than a sporting event—it’s a technological crucible where Dream Sports redefines the boundaries of digital scalability, says Sharma. “It  challenges us to rethink and refine how we approach scale, speed and reliability,” he adds. 

    Back to Dream Sports War Room and to the opening match of the IPL. All that is needed to take RCB to their first victory in the 2025 edition is a thump to the boundary, which Livingstone does when he wacks the Johnson delivery past mid-on to the ropes  to the dismay of those in the Eden Gardens stadium. 

    In the war-room, Sharma leans back and heaves a sigh of relief. The match saw the Dream 11  app getting a peak concurrency of 16.5 crore users. And it held up strong, without any glitches to the delight of all the engineers who were on standby. Another battle won. Till the next one.

  • FanCode to stream inter-school sports from Mumbai

    FanCode to stream inter-school sports from Mumbai

    MUMBAI:  This has been some time in the works.  College and high school sports are massive  money spinners for all in the US.  Indian platforms too are getting in on this future growth opportunity. 

    Take streamer  FanCode; it has  obtained  the media rights to broadcast some of the marquee events organised by the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) across multiple sports.

    Earlier,  the Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) and MSSA had inked a partnership which aims to improve young sports by developing grassroots talent.

    The coverage begins with the under-16 cricket championship for the  Harris Shield which is being streamed on FanCode for the second year in succession. Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English School and Modern English School ,Chembur are facing  off in this year’s final between December 16-18 at Brabourne Stadium. The Harris Shield has seen the emergence of greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Yashasvi Jaishwal, among many others. It is being  accompanied by the coverage of the championship battle for the under-14 Giles shield .

    FanCode co-founder Yannick Colaco said that the decision to telecast the Harris Shield last year was a landmark one for amateur sports. “We are delighted to continue providing a platform to the next generation of superstars and extending this to sports beyond cricket, with athletics, hockey, football and other events that MSSA will organise. This is also in line with our larger goal of nurturing a sporting culture, by offering a platform for families and friends to come together and show their support for the athletes,” he added.

    Among the other events that are to be streamed include: the inter-school athletic meet, Inter-school Hockey Tournament finals  for The Aga Khan Hockey Cup, and Inter-school Football Tournament.  

    Sports lovers can  watch the tournament via FanCode’s mobile app, TV app for Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Jio STB, Samsung TV, Airtel XStream, OTT Play, Prime Video, WatchO, and the FanCode website.

  • Dream11 launches ‘Poora Fan Bano’ campaign

    Dream11 launches ‘Poora Fan Bano’ campaign

    Mumbai: Fantasy sports platform – Dream11 has launched a new advertising campaign, ‘Poora Fan Bano’, ahead of the women’s cricket world cup 2024. The campaign encourages cricket fans to support the Indian women’s cricket team, emphasising that true fans of the sport support all versions of the game,  regardless of who’s playing.

    In a tongue-in-cheek series of ads, Rohit Sharma, the Indian men’s cricket team’s Captain, is seen along with Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, and star batters Smriti  Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues. The ads humorously highlight how aadha (half) fans focus only on men’s cricket, while a true blue cricket (poora) fan also supports the women’s team. The fans in the campaign are played by digital content creators Aakash Gupta, Ravi Gupta & RJ Kisna, Rohit Sharma provides the clarion call for viewers to cheer for the Indian women’s team in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

    Speaking about the campaign, Dream Sports & Dream11 CMO Vikrant Mudaliar said, “With Poora Fan Bano, we’re encouraging fans to embrace the full spectrum of  Indian cricket. As the world’s premier fantasy sports platform, Dream11 is committed to growing multiple sports across men’s and women’s competitions. We strongly believe that the talent and dedication of both our men’s and women’s teams deserve equal support. We hope this campaign inspires cricket lovers nationwide to cheer for the Women’s Cricket Team, reinforcing our belief  that sports truly is for everyone.”

    Dream11 remains a key player in the cricket ecosystem, serving as a co-presenting sponsor on Star Sports and an associate sponsor on Disney+Hotstar for the T20 World Cup live broadcast.

    Since 2023, Dream11 has been the Team India lead sponsor for both the women’s and men’s national cricket teams, maintaining a long-standing association with the BCCI.

    The campaign film has been conceptualised and produced by Tilt Brand Solutions & Studio Q.

  • Reliance Foundation announces Dream Sports as the principal partner of India House

    Reliance Foundation announces Dream Sports as the principal partner of India House

    Mumbai: India’s first-ever country house at the Paris 2024 Olympics, India House, conceptualized by Reliance Foundation (RF) as part of its partnership with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), announced Dream  Sports as its principal partner.  

    Dream Sports, a sports tech company, is a key contributor to the PM’s vision of digital India and making India a sporting nation. With a portfolio of leading brands like Dream11, FanCode, DreamSetGo, Dream Game  Studio and Dream Sports Foundation, the sports tech conglomerate will help elevate India’s vision for the 2036 Olympics.  

    As India House prepares to open its doors to athletes, dignitaries, and sports enthusiasts from around the world, it will embody the spirit of unity, diversity, and excellence that defines the Indian ethos. Dream Sports, with its symbiotic relationship with live sports, especially cricket, will drive conversations around the sport as a prelude to the 2028  Olympics in Los Angeles.  

    Reliance Foundation spokesperson said, “We are thrilled to welcome Dream Sports as the Principal Partner for our historic milestone in India’s Olympic journey. Their commitment to technology and innovation perfectly aligns with our vision as we present India to the world through the India House. Together, we are certain that we will deliver an  unforgettable experience and engagement to fans and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

    Dream Sports spokesperson said, “With a vision to Make Sports Better, India House will be a reflection of India’s  potential of becoming a sporting superpower and we are happy to be a part of this exciting journey.”

    Established by Reliance Foundation as the principal partner of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), India House represents a collective effort to elevate Indian sports globally.

  • LALIGA holds ‘EXTRA TIME’ webinar series in India to discuss the future of sports

    LALIGA holds ‘EXTRA TIME’ webinar series in India to discuss the future of sports

    Mumbai Continuing to build the Indian sports landscape, LALIGA, the world’s largest football ecosystem, successfully concluded its first-ever ‘EXTRA TIME’ webinar series in India. Seeking to engage in conversations related to sports technology and culture, the first of the dual-part webinar series, explored the evolving landscape of sports technology, and its impact in transforming fan engagement in India. Directing the conversation, leaders with experience leading properties such as LALIGA, National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), Dream Sports, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) graced the occasion as panel members.

    Delving into topics on innovation, audiovisual content, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and gamification amongst others, the panellists spoke about how tech can help build individual sports awareness and amplify preexisting audience potentials through personalization of content.

    Speaking at a LALIGA Extra Time Webinar, LALIGA head of content & programming Roger Brosel said, “At LALIGA, we have always looked at technology as a means to an end. Our final objective is to have a product with which fans can engage. Technology by itself cannot be the future, it must add something to the story we are already telling at LALIGA. We look at technology to build engagement and immersive experiences alongside the match day experience for fans who do not have the opportunity to travel. Through creativity & tech innovation we are allowing the viewer at home to get closer to the action.”

    Dream Sports chief marketing officer Vikrant Mudaliar, added “Gen-AI is an interesting avenue at the moment. From a Dream11 point of view, we are looking to innovate to seamlessly and frictionlessly provide fantasy sports fans content through reduced touchpoints. This added amount of convenience to stream, chat, gamify, and be provided with tips based on your interest is what we are aiming to do explore.”

    NBA India country head Rajah Chaudhry added, “For the NBA, we look at the technology space under two pillars; personalization and awareness building. We use tech, and in particular AI to build experiences for our fans. Through tech, we can personalize content, allowing fans to engage with the game based on their preferences, while providing access to the NBA like never before through immersive technology – which also allows us to build our existing fanbase in the country.”

    MLB Senior Manager India Ryo Takahashi added “MLB utilizes tech to understand our audience at multiple levels. Through building fan profiles, we are better able to understand our end consumer in terms of platform usage, the behaviour of the consumer, and the changing mindset of the fans. By adapting our offerings to gain an advantage in fan experience, tech allows us to build and scale our offering to new audiences and markets.”

    Aneesh Surender Madani, former – head of global digital partnerships and innovation at IOC & Former Twitter head of sports partnerships, at Asia Pacific, added “There’s a window beyond ‘LIVE’ content which is an area of growth for sports organizations. Fans are keen to learn more about the human stories in addition to the game. This demand is where tech can have a significant role to play. The big opportunity is in enabling athletes to share compelling content across multiple platforms.”

    Exploring the theme of building a sporting culture in India, the second part of the LALIGA Extra Time Webinar series will take place in mid-May alongside leaders from the sports industry in India and Spain.

  • Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) launches ‘Dream Sports Championship’

    Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) launches ‘Dream Sports Championship’

    Mumbai: Dream Sports Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, a sports technology company, has launched Dream Sports Championship (DSC), a national football tournament scheduled for April and May, spanning six key football hubs in India. As the country’s only second such U17 Football Competition, DSC will serve as a catalyst for identifying young talent, with the potential to represent the nation on an international stage.

    Featuring teams from major AIFF-accredited clubs and academies, the competition seeks to elevate youth-based competitions in Indian football, providing aspiring champions a platform to showcase their skills at the highest level. With the involvement of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), this tournament offers players a pathway to selection for the National Camp in June.

    Commenting about the launch, Dream Sports COO & co-founder Bhavit Sheth said, “We believe that the path to creating world-class champions is by building long-term and sustainable programs. In addition to our already existing grassroot training and mentorship programs, we have now added high-quality competition and avenues for early talent identification via Dream Sports Championship. This platform will help scouts tap into India’s vast potential at an early stage and groom potential talent. We are thankful to AIFF for its support and look forward to DSC becoming a springboard for identification of future national champions.”

    Dream Sports Foundation plans to expand the scope of Dream Sports Championships in the coming years, aiming to incorporate a wider range of sports. In the upcoming 2024 football edition, participating teams will kick off their journey in the Regional Round Phase. Spanning across six cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Shillong, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Goa — the Regional Round Phase is scheduled from 1 to 18 April to April. Subsequently, the top eight teams will advance to the national final slated for May 2024 in Mumbai.

    The Kolkata and Mumbai legs will start on 1 April and continue till 7 and 8 April respectively. The remaining four legs of the tournament will subsequently take place in Shillong, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Goa.

    Embed link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5JKoSkS7MM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA

  • Dream11 unites cricket legends and celebrities for new ad campaign

    Dream11 unites cricket legends and celebrities for new ad campaign

    Mumbai: Dream11, a fantasy sports platform with over 200 million users, has unveiled its advertising campaign for the upcoming cricket season, ‘Team Se Bada Kuch Nahi’. Dream11 brings together 11 cricket stars and 10 celebrities in a series of ad films with a humorous twist to the concept of sports rivalry between teams. The campaign interestingly plays on the transition from a united front in recent Team India cricket matches to individual team loyalties during the upcoming Indian Premier League.  

    Commenting on the campaign, Dream Sports CMO Vikrant Mudaliar said,  “Team Se Bada Kuch Nahi’ embodies the essence of sportsmanship, camaraderie and banter that defines cricket for Indian cricket fans. The campaign also underscores how sports in India, today represents a convergence of entertainment across various mediums: television, digital, films and music. Pairing legacy cricketers like Mohinder Amarnath and Krishnamachari Srikkanth with contemporary players like Sanju Samson and Rahul Chahar not only pays homage to our cricketing heritage but also showcases the sport’s ongoing evolution. The duo of Suniel Shetty and KL Rahul, celebrates the bridging worlds of cricket and cinema both on and off the field.

    Above all, the films are true to what our brand stands for — healthy competition, the spirit of  sportsmanship and passion for the game.”  

    The star-studded campaign features Dream11’s brand ambassadors, including Rohit Sharma,  Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Rahul  Chahar, and R. Ashwin, engaging in lively exchanges and witty banter. Making their debut in a  Dream11 campaign are brand ambassadors KL Rahul and Sanju Samson. Alongside them,  celebrated actors like Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Samantha Prabhu, and Supriya Pathak, pop icons Daler Mehndi and Baba Sehgal, and digital/content creators Viraj Ghelani and Danish Sait too, join the campaign. Additionally, Indian cricket legends Mohinder Amarnath and Krishnamachari  Srikkanth join the lineup, bringing their humour and playful exchanges to the screen.

    As an extension of the brand’s marketing efforts, Dream11 has teamed up with renowned  Bollywood actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Varun Dhawan to launch the Dream Sale, offering a chance for 11 mega contest participants to win big during each of the first five matches of IPL  2024. This marks the first-ever on-screen collaboration between the two actors. This partnership underscores the essence of IPL as a blend of sports and entertainment, highlighting Dream11’s dedication to enriching fan engagement and broadening the fantasy sports experience across the nation.

    The campaign kicked off with a set-up film released on Dream11’s YouTube channel, following which a series of eight ad films will be aired throughout the season on Star Sports, Jio Cinema and other digital platforms.

    The campaign film has been directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and conceptualized by Tilt Brand Solutions,  a creative agency that has been working with the brand for five years.  

    With a long-standing association with the IPL since 2019, Dream11 is the Principal Sponsor for four IPL teams, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, this season. Dream11 is also an Official Partner of eight teams of the Indian Premier League this year.  

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  • Mary Kom, Bhaichung Bhutia & Dilip Vengsarkar extend best wishes to Indian team for 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022

    Mary Kom, Bhaichung Bhutia & Dilip Vengsarkar extend best wishes to Indian team for 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022

    Mumbai: The much-awaited 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 is here and the excitement surrounding it continues to grow. For India, 655 athletes have been selected to represent the country at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. With India sending one of their biggest contingents to the Asian Games, it is their best chance yet to take the medal tally into three figures for the first time with the support of a billion hearts.

    Eight athletes from the DreamGold program by the Dream Sports Foundation have qualified for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.  These include: Pranavi Urs (golf), Sreeja Akula (table tennis), Nethra Kumanan (sailing), Ishwariya Ganesh (sailing), Advait Page (swimming), KM Chanda (athletics-800m), Jyothi Surekha Vennam (compound archery) and Bharath Pereira (sport climbing).

    Dream Sports Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, India’s leading sports technology company with brands such as Dream11, FanCode and DreamSetGo in its portfolio on Saturday sent their best wishes to the Indian contingent for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, Asia’s biggest sporting extravaganza, which kicked-off on Saturday, 23 September, 2023.

    Padma Vibhushan & 2012 London Olympic Bronze medalist and advisor to DSF, M.C Mary Kom, said she is confident that the Tricolour will fly at the grand stage. In her message, she said, “I would like to extend my best wishes to the contingent for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. I am sure that their hard work and the efforts put in by them over the past years will bear fruit and they will scale new heights and bring back laurels for the country. All of these athletes have had a stellar season in the lead up to the Asian Games and I am looking forward to seeing these young athletes making a name for themselves in their respective event.”

    Former Indian football team captain and advisor to DSF Bhaichung Bhutia also wished the contingent as they set to take the stage. He said, “The Asian Games are the pinnacle of sporting excellence in Asia. All of the athletes have put in years of dedication, hard work and it is their continuous perseverance in their sporting journey that has taken them to the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. I am looking forward to seeing Indian athletes make a mark on the international stage. As they prepare to etch their names in history, my best wishes are with them. Interestingly, 50% of the Indian contingent are women. We should build on this going forward”

    Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and administrator, Dilip Vengsarkar also wished the athletes. He said, “This Asian Games will be especially special for me considering Cricket is coming back after 2014.  The entire country is eagerly looking forward to this edition of the Asian Games and will be cheering loudly for you all.”

    Dream Sports chief operating officer and co-founder Bhavit Sheth said, “This year, India is sending the biggest contingent ever to the Asian Games. Dream Sports salutes their passion, dedication and perseverance. On behalf of the entire Dream Sports family and Dream Sports Foundation, we wish them the very best. Let their achievements inspire us to becoming a true sporting nation and fuel the dreams of generations to come.”