Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan: Pioneering Fan Engagement with FanCode

When it comes to the world of sports, few things are as exhilarating as witnessing your favourite teams and athletes in action. Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan, the founders of FanCode, understand the magnetic pull of sports all too well. They have embarked on a mission to transform how fans experience and engage with their favorite sports, transcending the traditional linear viewing platforms. Both Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan, with their prior stints in the sports broadcasting world, have witnessed the fragmented experiences that sports fans often endure. Their vision was simple: create a platform that genuinely caters to the needs and desires of fans, instead of merely offering a service and hoping to attract users.

In 2019, they brought their collective experience and passion for sports together to launch FanCode under the parent company Dream Sports. The platform offers a multifaceted fan experience, incorporating interactive live streaming (FC Live), comprehensive sports data, analytics, and statistics (FC Stats), and an online fan merchandise store (FC Shop).

A Fan’s Paradise:

FanCode’s aim is to become the go-to digital destination for sports enthusiasts, providing an immersive, personalized, and 360-degree fan experience. The founders recognized the absence of a single platform that makes it easy for fans to stay updated with their favourite teams, watch matches, and purchase merchandise. From Colaco’s perspective as a Manchester United fan, it was cumbersome to follow his beloved club’s schedule, locate a reliable source to stream the matches, and purchase team merchandise, all through different platforms. FanCode was created to solve this problem, offering a seamless solution for sports fans.

In just three years, FanCode has registered 50 million unique users across all its platforms, with 25 million app downloads, 70 percent of which are from non-metro regions. This significant reach beyond urban hubs has democratized the sports-viewing experience, making it accessible to a wider audience. The platform is set to witness a fivefold increase in app downloads over the next 18 months. FanCode has also experienced remarkable growth in user engagement, with a 4-5 times increase in daily and monthly users from 2020 to 2021. To date, it has streamed more than 300 events, covering over 9,000 matches and 42,000 hours of live content.

In the streaming arena, FanCode boasts exclusive partnerships with cricket boards of West Indies, Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, giving it the rights to stream both domestic and international matches in India involving these countries. For instance, FanCode is gearing up to stream India’s tour of the West Indies in July, one of its most prominent events. The platform has also secured partnerships with entities like the Bangladesh Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), The Hundred, ICC Pathway Events, the J League in football, Major League Baseball, and FIFA qualifiers for multiple regions. These collaborations further diversify FanCode’s content portfolio.

FanCode has also positioned itself as a prominent sports merchandise destination, working with numerous sports leagues and teams. They are the official partner for many outfits, including IPL franchises, the BCCI, NBA, WWE, Liverpool, and Borussia Dortmund. The FanCode Shop offers an extensive range of over 30 brands and 800 products, which is witnessing exponential growth in both user engagement and purchases each quarter. The licensed sports merchandise market in India is still emerging, contrasting with its global growth. FanCode aims to tap into this largely untapped market by offering authentic merchandise at affordable rates. For example, it provides official IPL jerseys for under Rs 2,000. The platform also expanded its store to include various sports gear, including football shoes and cricket bats.

FanCode’s journey is unfolding in a competitive market that requires offering more than just a few marquee events. Their strategy is to aggregate multiple smaller events, providing a broader range of choices for sports fans. Instead of focusing on a single mega event, FanCode caters to underserved Tier II and below events, accumulating a significant user base. With an eye on an evolving streaming industry and burgeoning sports merchandise market, FanCode is poised to become a go-to platform for millions of fans. As India’s love for sports continues to grow, FanCode’s founders are at the forefront of providing innovative solutions and an unmatched fan experience. Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan share a unified vision of making FanCode a comprehensive digital destination for sports lovers. They are committed to delivering unmatched fan experiences through live streaming, sports data, analytics, and sports merchandise, setting a new standard for how fans connect with their favourite teams and athletes.

FanCode’s influence is set to continue growing, democratizing the sports-viewing experience and making it more accessible to fans across the country. With their passion for sports and a clear vision for the future, Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan are changing the game for sports enthusiasts.