New Delhi, Dec. 7 -- Dream11, the fantasy gaming giant with 250 million users, is rewriting its playbook. It now looks to recast itself as a sports entertainment platform, betting on India's rising 'watch-party' culture, where fans stream matches, interact and hang out online. The shift from fantasy gaming to live, creator-led engagement comes after the real-money ban gutted its core business, pushing the firm to reinvent itself as a place where viewers watch with influencers, as sports viewing becomes more social.

The bet is that India's sports fandom can evolve into a creator-driven, engagement-led ecosystem that generates revenue through advertisements and micro-payments. But, will fans choose creator-led streams over traditional broa...