Cricket Finds Its Digital Home in Bangladesh

VEON’s Banglalink to Stream ICC Cricket on Toffee

Amsterdam and Dhaka, 24 April 2024: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that Banglalink, its digital operator in Bangladesh, secured the exclusive rights to the nation-wide streaming of  International Cricket Council (ICC) world events until the end of 2025.  The ICC matches will be available on Toffee streaming platform, commencing with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on 1 June 2024.

Developed locally in Bangladesh, Toffee is a subscription-based service that is open to users of all operators, and is the country’s leading local digital entertainment platform. This deal with Total Sports Management (TSM) marks the country’s biggest digital content partnership in cricket segment, encompassing six ICC events in 2024 and 2025, including the ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. These tournaments will feature 71 men’s and 95 women's matches in total, with teams from across 20 nations.

Erik Aas, Chief Executive Officer of Banglalink, said, “We are committed to serving the people of Bangladesh with the content that the country enjoys and needs, and to delivering this content through a transformative digital viewing experience on Toffee. We also aim to provide local businesses with the opportunity to reach their customers with world-class advertising technology, supporting the overall expansion of the digital economy in the country. This partnership helps us provide a superior digital experience for cricket enthusiasts on Toffee and marks a major step towards a Smart Bangladesh vision, contributing to the country's digital entertainment scene.”

Toffee proved its popularity with cricket fans during the  ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, recording 12.8 million monthly active users at its peak, providing access to a highly engaged audience of up to 3 million daily active viewers. Between 3 large sports events streamed on its mobile and web platforms over the past 18 months - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Asia Cup Cricket 2023, and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 - Toffee attracted over 50 million viewers. The platform has been working with the leading advertisers of the country since FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.  Toffee’s business model, that is based on revenues from both subscriptions and adtech, supports the financial performance of the platform while bringing cutting-edge content to millions of users in Bangladesh.