Dream11 pivots from fantasy gaming to AI-first sports platform
What's the story
Dream11, one of India's leading fantasy sports platforms, has announced a major shift in its business model. The company is now transitioning into an AI-first global sports engagement platform. This change comes as part of its strategy to move away from pure-play fantasy sports and focus more on sports content, live streaming, stats and scores, among other things.
Strategic shift
No more prizes on free contests
As part of this transition, Dream11 has announced that it will no longer offer prizes on free contests on its platform.
The company will now focus on providing sports content, live streaming, stats and scores, commentary, community experiences, and social contests.
The shift also comes with a leadership change as Dream11 COO Vaibhav Kokal has been appointed as the new CEO of the company.
User experience
Personalized user experience
Dream11 has promised a highly personalized user experience on its platform, based on individual preferences for sports, leagues, teams, and players.
The company said all features a fan might need will now be available on one platform - from watching live matches to diving into stats or competing in social contests with friends.
This new strategy is backed by other Dream Sports units like FanCode and DreamSetGo.
Global reach
Dream11's international expansion and pivot to free-to-play model
Dream11 started its pivot in August 2025, when it stopped all paid contests and switched to a free-to-play model.
The move came after the Indian government banned real-money games, affecting its core daily fantasy sports business.
The company started its international expansion in October 2025 by launching its free-to-play platform in 11 countries including the US, UK, Australia, and UAE.
App update
Revamped app and the end of live streaming
In December, Dream11 launched a revamped version of its app as a Twitch-like sports entertainment platform.
The update introduced creator-focused Watch Alongs, letting users watch matches through live streams by prominent creators.
However, the platform stopped providing live streams to consumers a few months ago. It also offered paid subscriptions for ad-free access and some other features before discontinuing them last week.