CREX Names Vishal Sharma as Head of Media Sales to Power Cricket Brand Partnerships

Introduction

Cricket in India is not just a sport — it is a billion-person cultural event. And the platforms that can convert that passion into measurable brand engagement are becoming increasingly valuable real estate for advertisers. CREX, the real-time cricket engagement platform, has just made a decisive move in that direction by appointing Vishal Sharma as its new Head of Media Sales. With IPL seasons driving unprecedented digital traffic and brands competing fiercely for fan attention, this hire could not be better timed.

The Big Announcement

CREX has officially brought Vishal Sharma on board as Head of Media Sales, tasking him with driving strategic revenue growth, deepening media and agency partnerships, and leveraging the platform's data-driven targeting capabilities to deliver value for brand partners.

Beyond revenue, Vishal's remit extends to team building and contributing to product development from an advertiser's perspective — ensuring CREX's evolving offerings stay aligned with what brands actually need from a high-engagement sports platform.

Vishal arrives with over 15 years of experience spanning some of India's most prominent digital and media organisations. His most recent role was National Sales Head at AnyMind Group. Before that, he held significant positions at OLX under the Naspers Group, and built deep expertise across platforms including Cricbuzz, OneIndia, and The New Indian Express — covering digital advertising, monetisation strategy, and large-scale brand partnership management.

Purshottam Rawat, CEO of CREX, noted that strengthening the leadership team with experienced professionals like Vishal enables the platform to sharpen its focus on scalable, insight-led solutions for brands, while ensuring both users and partners find sustained value as the cricket ecosystem continues to evolve.

What This Means for Your Brand

For marketing and media professionals, this appointment carries a clear strategic signal: CREX is actively building the infrastructure to become a serious contender in cricket-led brand advertising — and it is doing so with intent.

Here is why that matters. Cricket viewership in India generates some of the highest attention metrics in digital media. Second-screen behaviour during live matches — checking scores, reading commentary, engaging with polls and interactive formats — creates a window of peak audience attention that is difficult to replicate on any other platform. CREX is specifically designed to own that window.

For brands running IPL campaigns or cricket-season activations, the opportunity is clear: contextual advertising at moments of genuine fan engagement, rather than passive pre-roll interruptions. Vishal's background at Cricbuzz and OLX suggests he understands both the sports audience and the performance expectations of large-scale advertisers.

The contrarian note worth raising: as more platforms compete for cricket's digital advertising pie — from JioHotstar to emerging sports apps — CREX's differentiation will depend on how effectively it can demonstrate unique engagement depth, not just reach. Vishal's mandate around data-driven targeting will be central to making that case.

Expert Take

Vishal Sharma outlined his vision for the role with clarity, stating that CREX is positioned at the intersection of real-time sports consumption and fan engagement, with a focus on creating innovative solutions through the platform's IPs and interactive formats that allow brands to connect with highly engaged cricket audiences in meaningful ways.

He further articulated an ambition to make CREX synonymous with cricket itself — positioning the platform as a strong second screen alongside live matches to deepen user engagement and create new brand opportunities through contextual and consultative solutions.

This consultative approach to brand partnerships — rather than a purely transactional inventory-selling model — reflects a broader maturation in how Indian digital sports platforms are approaching advertiser relationships.

The brands.in Perspective

India's cricket advertising market is enormous, but it is also crowded and noisy. The platforms that will win long-term are not those with the most content — they are the ones that can prove their audiences are genuinely paying attention. CREX's positioning as a real-time, interactive second-screen platform is smart because it targets engagement depth over passive reach. Vishal Sharma's appointment, backed by a career built on digital monetisation at scale, gives CREX the commercial muscle to translate that positioning into actual advertiser revenue. Watch this space closely.

Key Takeaways for Marketers

• CREX appoints Vishal Sharma as Head of Media Sales with a 15-year digital media pedigree
• Previous roles include National Sales Head at AnyMind Group and senior positions at Cricbuzz and OLX
• Focus areas include revenue growth, agency partnerships, and data-driven brand targeting
• CREX positions itself as a high-engagement second-screen platform during live cricket
• Consultative brand solutions — not just ad inventory — define CREX's advertiser approach
• Appointment timed strategically ahead of peak cricket season advertising demand

FAQ

What is CREX and why does it matter for brands? CREX is a real-time cricket engagement platform offering faster score updates, interactive formats, and fan participation tools. For brands, it provides access to highly engaged cricket audiences at peak attention moments during live matches — making it a compelling contextual advertising environment.

What will Vishal Sharma's role involve at CREX? He will lead media sales strategy, build agency and brand partnerships, utilise data-driven targeting for advertisers, guide team development, and contribute to product innovation from a brand perspective — essentially shaping how CREX monetises its engaged cricket audience base.

How is CREX different from other cricket platforms in India? CREX focuses specifically on real-time engagement and second-screen interactivity during live matches, rather than long-form content or broadcast streaming. This positions it as a complementary platform that captures fan attention during the moments of highest cricket-related activity.

Closing

Cricket is India's most powerful cultural unifier — and the brands that find smarter ways to show up within that passion economy will consistently outperform those relying on traditional reach metrics alone. CREX's latest leadership move suggests it understands exactly what the next chapter of cricket advertising looks like.

Is your brand's cricket strategy built around real engagement or just borrowed audience attention? Share your perspective below.

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