New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and sports technology company Dream Sports have signed a five-year agreement to create digital fan engagement products such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), gaming and merchandising through the company’s portfolio.
It will be the team’s debut in Cricket NFT and will be developed by Cricket NFT platform Rario. Dream11, a brand of Dream Sports, has been New Zealand’s official fantasy sports partner since 2019.
Dream Sports led a Series A investment of $120 million in Rario last month through its corporate venture capital and mergers and acquisitions arm Dream Capital. NZC fans will have the chance to access cricket history in India through these digital collectibles in player cards, video moments and cricket artifacts as well as fiat currency products. A next generation mobile game will be created by Dream Sports’ game development arm – Dream Game Studios and an entire sports merchandise range, hosted on Fancode – its leading sports content and commerce platform in India.
Team Chief Executive David White said the partnership represents an exciting step forward in the metaverse for his organisation, opening up a new world of opportunities for New Zealand cricket fans. “One of NZC’s key goals is to expand the global reach of our teams; to forge closer relationships around the world, and to develop new ways for fans to engage and connect with the deep history of our sport,” he said.
NZC’s general manager for the commercial, Chris Smith, said the agreement will be a game-changer for NZC fans, taking fan engagement to an unprecedented level. “It is wonderful to build on our platform Dream11 and NZC’s existing partnerships with Fancode in this way. We are excited about the next big leap in our association with New Zealand Cricket, and look forward to exploring its full potential for fan engagement through the Dream Sports portfolio,” said Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream Sports.
