Times Internet and Dream Sports have entered into definitive agreements for Dream Sports to invest USD 50 million in Cricbuzz, the world’s #1 destination for live cricket scores and commentary, and Willow TV, the largest broadcaster of cricket in North America. Cricbuzz and Willow are both owned by Times Internet, the digital arm of The Times of India Group.

Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor on this transaction.

This strategic minority investment pairs India’s largest SportsTech company with the most visited cricket media and broadcast ecosystem to unlock next-gen engagement, commerce, and AI-powered interactivity.

With more than 185 million monthly users and a brand that is searched 27% more than the word “cricket” itself, Cricbuzz delivers unmatched reach across India and the wider cricket world. Willow TV complements that footprint by streaming over 1,500 live matches each year to fans across the United States and Canada, and has also expanded its global broadcast footprint into a leading cricket broadcast platform for the Middle East and SouthEast Asia.

Commenting on the announcement, Satyan Gajwani, Vice Chairman, 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.”

Harsh Jain, CEO and Co-Founder, Dream Sports 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.”

Neeraj Shrimali, Managing Director & Co-Head, Digital, Technology & Consumer Investment Banking, Avendus Capital said, “Very excited to have worked on the coming together of two of the largest sports platforms in India. This collaboration will be a game changer on how cricket fans experience content in the times to come.”

About Avendus

Avendus Group is a leading financial services firm with a presence in the areas of Investment Banking, Institutional Equities, Wealth Management, Credit Solutions and Asset Management. Established in 1999 in Mumbai, India, Avendus is today present in 11 cities across India, US and Singapore. Avendus partners with the Indian entrepreneur ecosystem to provide differentiated solutions that enable clients to meet their strategic aspirations.

Avendus Capital, the investment banking arm, is consistently ranked among the top investment banks in the country on the back of its in-depth domain understanding and a best in the class track record of domestic and cross-border transactions. Avendus’ wide range of clients is testimony to its ability to serve its corporates throughout their life cycle – growth stage funding, large-sized transactions, M&A advisory and access to public markets.

Avendus Capital Inc., New York and Avendus Pte Ltd., Singapore are both Avendus Group entities offering services to clients in the US and Southeast Asia respectively.

For more information, please visit www.avendus.com