Dream11 goes global, launches in 11 countries including the US and UK

Fantasy sports major Dream11 is kickstarting its international expansion by launching its platform in 11 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and United Arab Emirates.

How will this help Dream11?

This expansion is expected to be a crucial step for Dream11 to diversify its presence after India’s recent online gaming law disrupted its core business model.

In August, Dream Sports co-founder Harsh Jain had told Moneycontrol in an interview that 95 percent of the company’s revenues and 100 percent of its profits were coming from the earlier model of cash-based contests, which are prohibited under the new law.

Dream11 subsequently pivoted to a free-to-play model supported by ads and sponsorships.

Other markets in the current expansion include New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. The company will not be offering real-money games in these markets, Moneycontrol has learnt.

Dream Sports, the parent company of Dream11, declined to comment on this development.

Dream11’s advertising push

Last month, Moneycontrol reported that Dream11 onboarded brands such as Swiggy, Astrotalk, and Tata Neu as advertisers.

The platform offers formats such as banner ads and sponsored contests. Brands can tailor their campaigns to different audiences, whether targeting young mobile-first fans, families in smaller towns, or seasoned cricket lovers in metros, the company stated.

“Over the years, many brands have shown strong interest in partnering with Dream11, and now, after our pivot to free-to-play fantasy sports, we have begun onboarding them selectively,” Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream Sports said at the time.

Mudaliar had said that fantasy cricket continues to “drive remarkable engagement,” with the platform claiming to have 10 million daily active players and more than 250 million total users. Nearly 70 percent of users are aged 18–35, with another 25 percent between 35 and 60.

Dream11 also recently introduced a new fantasy sports feature called Flex, which allows users to create their own leagues and customise rules as per their preference.

Founded in 2008 by Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports was last valued at $8 billion when it received $840 million funding from a clutch of funds led by Falcon Edge, DST Global, D1 Capital, Redbird Capital, Tiger Global, TPG and Footpath Ventures in November 2021.

Apart from Dream11, Dream Sports also houses brands such as sports content and commerce platform FanCode, sports experiences platform DreamSetGo, mobile game development unit Dream Game Studios, fixed deposits and gold investment app Dream Money, and its philanthropic arm Dream Sports Foundation.

Do other gaming platforms have international presence?

M-League, the parent company of Bengaluru-based gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) and European card and board game studio GameDuell, also has presence in Europe, United States, and Nigeria. Nearly 40 percent of the company’s revenues in FY25 were from these markets.

Gaming platform WinZO also recently expanded its international footprint by entering the United States, nearly two years after its Brazil foray.