Dream Sports’ FanCode Secures Multi-Year AFC Competition Rights In India

FanCode, a subsidiary of Dream11 parent Dream Sports, on Wednesday said it has acquired the exclusive streaming rights for various Asian Football Confederation (AFC) competitions for 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. 

The company secured the digital streaming rights through a sub-licensing agreement with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the media rights holder for AFC competitions in India. 

The new agreement will provide fans in India the chance to see Asian football matches featuring renowned international football stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema, FanCode said in a statement.

The AFC, the governing body of football in Asia, is responsible for organising football tournaments worldwide, including the prestigious AFC Champions League, which is the premier club competition in the continent.

The media rights will cover multiple AFC competitions, including AFC Champions League, AFC Cup for 2023-24 and the subsequent season, AFC U23 Asian Cup, AFC U20 Women’s

Asian Cup 2024, AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2024, AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024, among others.

“We are delighted to partner with the Asian Football Confederation and bring some of the biggest names along with some top matches to fans in India. This will further help the Indian footballing ecosystem to grow,” Prasana Krishnan, cofounder of FanCode, said.

Founded by Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan in March 2019, FanCode offers interactive live streaming in subscription formats with Match, Bundle and Tour Passes, along with monthly and annual subscriptions at affordable prices. Through FanCode Shop, it also offers fans a wide range of sports merchandise for sporting teams, brands and leagues across the world.

The startup claims to have over 100 Mn users. It has partnered with domestic, international sports leagues and associations across multiple sports. 

Backed by Dream Sports, FanCode has raised a total funding of $50 Mn till date. 

FanCode competes with sports streaming OTT platforms like JioCinema, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV in India. The market seems to be moving towards free streaming of popular sports content, as key players like JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar are providing streaming of premium cricket content like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for free.