With the vision of empowering sports organisations to maximise fan affinity and commercialisation, the Sportz Group has more than two decades’ worth of operational domain expertise. With more than 700+ ‘players’ on its team (and growing!) the company works with customers across 40 sports worldwide with a focus on cricket, football, basketball, kabaddi and several other global sports.
Through the years, the Sportz Group has gained a reputation for its offerings backed by live data feeds, a full-service FanXP platform that powers websites and mobile applications, fantasy games, social media innovations, content initiatives and most recently, the launch of its fanalytics offerings
Medianews4u.com caught up with Raghav Mehta SVP – Leagues & Federations Sportz Interactive
Q. When Sportz Interactive launched, what was the whitespace present in the market?
When we started, the sports ecosystem in India was still in its infancy, the digital ecosystem did not exist. Most coverage was broadcast-first or text-heavy; interactivity and data-driven storytelling were largely missing.
We had very humble beginnings from a garage in Mumbai, when our founder Naveen Aranha saw an opportunity to create a better experience for fans – by combining rich sports data with cutting-edge technology and intuitive design. Over time, that whitespace has only expanded, especially as consumption patterns have shifted from passive viewing to active participation.
Q. There has been caution among investors when it comes to startups. Startups now have to focus on profit by necessity. Is Sportz Interactive following this philosophy of profit?
Definitely. While we’ve always been product- and value-first in our thinking, there’s never been a disconnect with business fundamentals. We’ve built Sportz Interactive with a clear-eyed view on sustainability—focussing on long-term relationships, recurring revenue, and solutions that scale.
So yes, profit is important—not just for financial health but also to retain independence and continue building the kind of future-facing products we believe in.
Q. What is the business model of Sportz Interactive? How is it being fine-tuned?
At its core, we’re a B2B company but everything we deliver is for the fans, so we often refer to ourselves as B2B2F. We partner with leagues, federations, teams, broadcasters, platforms, and brands to power digital fan engagement. That spans everything from live data feeds and front-end experiences to gaming, content, and AI-powered tools.
The model is always being fine-tuned—whether that’s expanding into new territories, modularising our offerings for faster deployment, or co-developing IPs that align with our partners’ strategic goals.
Q. Could you shed light on the work that Sportz Interactive does with various leagues and sports events like the PKL, the Olympics, etc.?
We work with 150+ active clients and have had the privilege of covering events or working with organisations around the IPL, Olympics, Pro Kabaddi, Euros, FIFA World Cup, NBA, UFC and many others. Our work spans end-to-end — powering connected digital ecosystems, fan engagement initiatives, creative campaigns, year round brand and marketing strategies and interactive video experiences.
The goal is always the same: maximise fan affinity, deepen engagement, and enhance the fan’s connection with the sport while driving meaningful commercial outcomes for our partners.
Q. How has the IPL on digital through Jio/Hotstar changed the game in terms of more and deeper fan engagement?
It’s been transformative. The IPL’s digital presence, especially through platforms like JioCinema and Hotstar, has made cricket consumption more personal, more social, and more immersive.
Multi-cam views, fan polls, watch parties, real-time stats, play alongs—these aren’t just add-ons, they’re central to how fans now engage. It’s raised the bar for what a digital sports experience should feel like.
Q. How can tech help bring fans closer to sports with things like AR, VR that create an immersive experience?
We see tech as a bridge and an enabler, bringing fans close to the action. AR/VR, when done right, can let fans experience the thrill of being pitch-side, walk through their favourite stadiums, or engage with players in new ways.
But beyond the “wow” factor, the key is integration, making sure these tools serve a meaningful purpose in the fan journey. That’s where real value lies. While we are beginning to see a lot of cool applications in sport already, there is still some work to be done before these technologies are able to impact fans at scale.
Q. How is Sportz Interactive using AI to enhance its solutions?
We can probably do an entire session on this topic alone! But at SI, we have been very quick to adapt to the new “AI-Native” world. Internally, we have an AI exploratory committee and have been experimenting with applications across our products for 8+ years.
Given our history in live data, we are sitting on some of the best live sports data sets out there and have been training our models on those data sets with the aim of creating the best and most real time sports insights that will drive storytelling for the future.
Our Automated Content Creation Platform, called “Sportz Playground” – built on in-house AI/ML models has already processed millions of minutes of live and archival footage and is the engine behind a lot of the short and long form content fans are consuming across platforms.
From a day-to-day perspective, AI has been a huge driver of efficiency – from automating meeting notes and transcriptions to writing actual code for our applications – we are always trying to find new ways to improve our workflows.
Q. How does Sportz Interactive use deep tech to analyse and leverage fan behaviour?
There is a massive shift happening in the way sports organisations look at commercial models. For far too long, everything has been driven by media rights and while that continues to be the main driver of revenue for sports rights owners and teams, people are realising that not everyone can demand the value that the IPL, Premier League, and similar Tier 1 brands do. In fact, globally, there is a trend of declining or stagnating media rights revenue.
Finding alternate streams of sustainable revenue has never been as critical as it is today. This is where the power of digital and understanding fan behaviour becomes a really important next step to achieving financial independence.
Fan behaviour today is a blend of clicks, swipes, dwell time, watch patterns, and social signals. We build connected digital ecosystems that help centralise fan behaviour and bring these signals together—so we can help our partners understand what their fans want, when, and why.
This informs everything from content strategy to product design to monetisation models which today are a combination of Direct-to-Fan initiatives like ticketing, merchandise etc. and Digital First Sponsorship initiatives. With all the investment coming into sport, these metrics are leading indicators of the enterprise value of the brand.
Q. What fandom trends are being seen in the country when it comes to sport and what do sports stakeholders need to do to further tap into fandom?
One big shift is the rise of “casual-but-committed” fans, i.e. people who may not watch a full game but engage deeply through short-form, fantasy, or creator content.
There’s also a growing appetite for storytelling around athletes and local teams. To tap into this, stakeholders need to look beyond just match coverage—into culture, community, and creator-led ecosystems.
Q. What is the challenge that non-cricket sports face in scaling up?
Cricket has the advantage of legacy, infrastructure, and scale. For other sports, the challenge is often consistency – in visibility, season length, and narrative.
You need more touch points beyond just the match window: grassroots development, athlete marketing, fan communities. Tech can help here by democratising reach and enabling year-round engagement.
Q. Could you talk about the company’s gaming suite and the potential in it in areas like daily fantasy?
We’ve built a modular gaming suite that includes daily fantasy, predictor games, trivia, and moment-based challenges – each designed to suit different levels of fan engagement. At the core of it is a loyalty layer that ties these formats together, rewarding users across games and platforms.
What’s exciting is how these formats can be tailored – whether it’s deep, stats-driven fantasy play for hardcore fans or quick, snackable formats for casual users. Daily fantasy, in particular, has strong potential in emerging sports; it encourages habitual engagement, creates new touchpoints, and extends the fan experience beyond the match itself.
For rights holders and broadcasters, it’s a powerful way to keep fans coming back, while opening up new avenues for sponsorship and monetisation.
Q. Could you shed light on the expansion plans into Europe?
Europe is a key focus area for us, especially in football where fans expect world-class digital experiences. It’s not a new market for us. We’ve actually been working here for the last nine years, partnering with some of the biggest organisations in the space. So for us, doubling down in Europe now is a no-brainer.
Our platform and services have been battle-tested across high-pressure, high-scale environments, and we’re confident in our ability to deliver. The next phase is about going big – scaling our on-ground presence, deepening relationships, and offering more tailored solutions across clubs, leagues, federations, and broadcasters.
We know that success in this region isn’t just about good tech—it’s about cultural understanding, local relevance, and flexibility. That’s where we believe we can stand out: with proven capabilities, a strong foundation, and a mindset geared towards long-term partnership.
