The sports media game just changed. Minute Media, backed by BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, has snapped up India’s VideoVerse—an AI startup that turns raw match footage into instant highlights. The move could redefine how sports fans worldwide consume their favorite games.
Key Takeaways
- Minute Media’s largest acquisition to date is Indian AI startup VideoVerse.
- VideoVerse powers real-time highlights for IPL, FIFA+, and more.
- Deal pegged near $200M–$250M valuation.
- AI tools offer auto-generated clips, translations, and global reach.
- Goal: tap into the mobile-first fan base craving bite-sized sports content.
The Big Move
Minute Media, the fast-growing sports media group behind Sports Illustrated, The Players’ Tribune, and 90min, has made its boldest move yet. On Monday, the company confirmed the acquisition of Mumbai-based VideoVerse, an artificial intelligence startup specializing in sports highlight generation.
CEO Asaf Peled called it the company’s biggest deal in both value and size—a clear signal that Minute Media is betting big on AI to fuel its next phase of growth.
How VideoVerse Rose to the Spotlight
Founded in 2016 by Vinayak Shrivastav, VideoVerse wasn’t always about sports. The startup originally built AI systems to detect smoking and alcohol in films for Indian censors, and even developed tools for e-commerce video tagging.
But its turning point came when Hotstar (now part of Jio) wanted tech that could identify key moments in cricket matches. That demand sparked VideoVerse’s pivot to sports broadcasting—a decision that now pays off in a massive way.
Today, VideoVerse works with top clients like the IPL, Women’s Premier League Cricket, FIFA+, Nippon TV, and Cubber TV. It operates like a SaaS platform, charging based on how many hours of video its clients process. With reported $65M in revenue and strong 35–40% profit margins, it’s a rare case of an AI startup scaling with both technology and profitability.
Why Minute Media Wanted In
For Minute Media, this is more than a tech purchase. It’s a distribution + AI synergy play.
- VideoVerse supplies the AI engine that instantly produces sports clips and highlight packages.
- Minute Media supplies the network—200 million monthly users across its global sports media brands, plus partnerships with 500 publishers.
Together, they can deliver personalized, bite-sized highlights straight to fans’ feeds, while giving broadcasters new ways to monetize content.
Peled explained it simply: “We can now go to partners with a full package: AI tools for creation, plus distribution and monetization built-in.”
Inside the AI Playbook
VideoVerse isn’t just cutting clips—it’s rewriting how highlights are made. Its latest tools allow broadcasters to:
- Auto-build highlight reels based on custom rules (e.g., every dunk from a single basketball star).
- Publish clips instantly across social platforms.
- Translate highlights in real time to reach fans in different languages.
Chief Strategy Officer Prateek Sharma added that while VideoVerse uses some third-party models, its core highlight-recognition engine is proprietary, giving it a competitive edge.
The Market Context
This deal isn’t happening in a vacuum. Sports fans, especially Gen Z and millennials, are moving away from traditional full-match coverage. Instead, they want short, real-time, mobile-first clips that feel personal and shareable.
That shift is opening up massive new monetization channels—something Minute Media is positioning itself to dominate with the help of VideoVerse.
Peled also hinted at ambitions in the U.S. sports market, where real-time highlight demand is booming across basketball, baseball, and American football.
A New Era for Sports Media
Though the companies didn’t disclose financial terms, insiders peg VideoVerse’s valuation in the $200M–$250M range, close to its last funding round. For Minute Media, which has already raised $260M, the acquisition stands out as a milestone deal—part of a larger strategy of buying and scaling innovative media properties.
But this one is different. Instead of just adding a new media brand, Minute Media is adding a core AI capability—one that could change the way fans interact with sports forever.
Conclusion
For fans, this means more personalized, on-demand highlights—whether that’s every six hit in a cricket match or every three-pointer in basketball. For broadcasters, it means faster, cheaper, and more engaging content pipelines. And for Minute Media, it’s a chance to stay ahead in the race where sports + AI + mobile content is the winning formula.
The next time your feed is filled with lightning-fast sports clips, there’s a good chance this acquisition had something to do with it.