In a significant strategic move, sports media startup FanCode, a subsidiary of Dream Sports (parent company of Dream11), has announced that it will be shutting down its sports merchandise arm, FanCode Shop, by October 2025. The decision reflects the company’s intent to double down on its core digital content and sports streaming operations, which have shown strong user engagement and growth.
FanCode Shop to Cease Operations
Launched in 2020, FanCode Shop was created to provide fans with official sports merchandise, including jerseys, fan gear, and collectibles. The platform partnered with several global and domestic sports entities such as IPL teams, the NBA, top football clubs, and international cricket boards, allowing fans to buy authentic merchandise directly through the platform.
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However, despite these high-profile collaborations, the merchandise business struggled to scale. According to a report by The Economic Times, the venture faced persistent viability challenges and was severely impacted by the proliferation of counterfeit sports merchandise in the Indian market. These issues led to lower-than-expected revenue and limited long-term growth potential.
Company Statement on the Strategic Shift
FanCode confirmed the decision through an official 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.”
The company also emphasized that this move is a resource reallocation strategy, allowing them to strengthen and expand their core content offerings, such as live sports streaming, exclusive match coverage, insights, and statistics — services that have driven substantial user engagement and monetization.
Refocusing on Core Strengths
FanCode has been steadily gaining traction as a leading sports content and streaming platform in India, particularly among niche and regional sports audiences. The platform offers live streaming of international cricket, football, basketball, and other sports not always available on mainstream broadcasters. Its data-driven insights and content customization have made it a favorite among fantasy sports players and dedicated fans alike.
The decision to exit the merchandise business aligns with FanCode’s long-term vision to become a content-first digital sports platform. With sports fandom increasingly moving online, content consumption has become the primary driver of user retention and growth.
Challenges in India’s Sports Merchandise Market
The Indian sports merchandise market remains largely unorganized, and counterfeit products continue to dominate offline and online retail channels. Despite growing interest in fan culture, price sensitivity, limited distribution infrastructure, and brand trust issues have prevented official merchandise from becoming mainstream.
FanCode Shop’s closure underlines the difficulty even well-funded startups face in establishing scalable models in this space.
Conclusion
As FanCode prepares to shut down FanCode Shop by October 2025, the company is making a strategic pivot toward reinforcing its core digital content and streaming services. While its merchandising ambitions are coming to an end, the move signals a sharper focus on the segments that hold the most promise in the Indian sports ecosystem.
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