Dream Sports’ FanCode to shut sports merchandise business

FanCode, which is owned by Dream11 parent Dream Sports, is set to shut its online sports merchandise business, FanCode Shop, by October this year.

The move comes after Dream Sports shuttered its real-money gaming operations following the passage of the ‘Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025’ in Parliament. FanCode decided in June to close its sports merchandising business and redirect resources to its core content operations, the company said in a statement.

“This will help us focus on what’s growing fastest and delivering the most value to our users. FanCode Shop will continue running till October, and we will fulfill all orders placed during that time,” a FanCode spokesperson said.

According to ET, which reported the development first, the merchandise business faced persistent viability issues and the unchecked circulation of counterfeit products, both of which severely limited growth prospects.

Launched in 2020, FanCode Shop offered official sports apparel, fan gear, and collectibles through partnerships with IPL franchises, the NBA, international cricket bodies, and leading football clubs globally. It was intended to provide an additional revenue stream for FanCode, which also offers live sports streaming, commentary, and analytics.

Earlier, Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain said that the ban on real-money gaming caused 95% of the startup’s revenue to disappear overnight. However, the company does not plan to challenge the Bill in court and will instead focus on FanCode, the sports hospitality brand DreamSetGo, online game DreamCricket, and recently launched investment tech platform Dream Money.

Dream11 also plans to redeploy resources for AI-driven innovations in sports content, commerce, merchandising, and fan experiences.