Formation and launch of the DAZN platform (2007–2018) Perform Group was created in 2007 through the merger of Premium TV Limited, an event sport broadcasting network, and the Inform Group, a digital sports rights agency. In February 2011, Perform acquired
Goal.com. In 2011 and 2013 the company bought sports data companies RunningBall and
Opta Sports respectively. In 2013, Perform Group combined its U.S. businesses with
The Sporting News to form Sporting News Media, in which it took a 65% stake.
The Sporting News' former owner
American City Business Journals retained 35%. Perform Group was de-listed from the London Stock Exchange in November 2014 when
Access Industries increased its stake in the company from 42.5% to 77%. In December 2014, Perform and the
WTA announced a 10-year media deal, under which they would jointly form WTA Media to manage and distribute its media rights. In February 2016, Perform Group and the
FIBA announced a partnership to distribute and sell broadcasting rights to its basketball competitions. In February 2016, Perform Group announced its acquisition of exclusive worldwide media rights to Japanese
J.League football under a 10-year, ¥210 billion (US$2 billion) contract, succeeding the league's ¥5 billion deal with
SKY Perfect. Under the new contract, all matches from the three J.League divisions (
J1,
J2, and
J3) would be broadcast under its new DAZN brand from 2017. The league described the contract as the largest broadcast rights deal in the history of Japanese sport. In March 2023, DAZN extended its deal with J.League to 2033. In August 2016, Perform Group launched DAZN in Austria, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. It was described by media at the time as being the "
Netflix for sport". In July 2017, DAZN announced that it would expand into Canada, after having acquired over-the-top streaming rights to the
National Football League in Canada, including NFL Game Pass and access to
NFL RedZone. In August 2017, the company reached a deal to sublicense content from
beIN Sports Canada, including selected
UEFA Champions League and
UEFA Europa League matches, as well as other international sports rights. On 20 November 2017, DAZN acquired Canadian rights to
International Basketball Federation (FIBA) events. In February 2018, DAZN sub-licensed Japanese rights to the
B.League,
Nippon Professional Baseball,
La Liga, and the
Premier League from
Softbank. In February 2018, DAZN acquired Canadian broadcast rights to the
2018 Commonwealth Games and subsumed
Major League Soccer's digital out-of-market service MLS Live — with live and on-demand streaming of matches featuring U.S. teams.
Roku support was also added that month. In March, DAZN reached a syndication deal to carry content from
Pac-12 Network on the service in Canada. In May 2018, DAZN announced that it had acquired exclusive Canadian rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, beginning in the
2018–19 season and replacing
TSN. In April 2019, DAZN announced that it had acquired Canadian rights to the
Premier League, replacing
Sportsnet and TSN, under a three-year deal.
US expansion, combat sports launch and corporate restructure (2018) In May 2018, DAZN announced its expansion into the United States and the signing of a broadcasting deal with
Matchroom Boxing. The deal with Matchroom was signed for an initial two years with the option for a six-year extension. In the same month, former
ESPN president
John Skipper joined as executive chairman of Perform Group. He later became the first chief executive officer of DAZN. In June 2018, DAZN announced a five-year streaming rights deal with the
Viacom-owned
mixed martial arts promotion
Bellator and included the U.S. and all other regions currently served by DAZN. The rights include seven exclusive events per-year, as well as all events televised by
Paramount Network. DAZN officially launched in the U.S. in September 2018, ahead of its first boxing event of
Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin on 22 September. Its launch content also included the
World Boxing Super Series, as well as the
AFC Champions League, the
Chilean Primera Division,
J-League and other content. DAZN's broadcast team for its U.S. boxing events is led by
"Sugar" Ray Leonard and
Brian Kenny on play-by-play, with
LZ Granderson as ringside reporter, and
Michael Buffer as ring announcer. Buffer appeared in a U.S. marketing campaign for the service, contrasting its business model to
pay-per-views. In September 2018, DAZN's parent company Perform Group underwent a reorganization, with its sports data business spun into a second company known as Perform Content (which was later sold to
Vista Equity Partners and merged with
STATS LLC in 2019 to form
Stats Perform, and its consumer properties (including DAZN itself, as well as several co-owned sports news websites) retained as DAZN Group and was later reported that this was in preparation for a potential sale of the latter in order to help fund the DAZN operations. In October 2018, DAZN announced that it had signed a five-year, 11-fight deal with Mexican boxer
Canelo Álvarez valued at a minimum of $365 million, beginning with his then-upcoming bout against
Rocky Fielding in December for the WBA
super middleweight title. Álvarez was previously aligned with
HBO, which had announced that it would discontinue boxing broadcasts. The contract overtook
Giancarlo Stanton's $325 million contract with the
Miami Marlins as the
highest-valued contract with a single athlete in sport known at the time. In November 2018,
Major League Baseball announced a three-year content partnership with DAZN, which includes on-demand highlights, and ChangeUp—a live nightly studio program featuring look-ins and analysis. Just before the start of the 2020 season, DAZN cancelled MLB-related programming due to financial stresses caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2018, DAZN was estimated to be worth £3 billion: it was described by the
Evening Standard as one of the United Kingdom's few tech "
unicorns".
European and Asian launch (2018–2020) DAZN launched in Italy in August 2018, with an acquisition of exclusive rights to 114
Serie A matches beginning in the 2018–19 season and other domestic rights on launch including the
European Rugby Champions Cup,
Showtime Championship Boxing,
UFC programming, and the
World Rally Championship. In September, DAZN announced that in order to improve the accessibility of its Serie A rights, it would begin to offer a subscription-based linear channel on Sky Italia's satellite service. In January 2019, DAZN acquired the rights to broadcast the
2019 AFC Asian Cup in Canada and the United States. In March 2019, DAZN doubled its U.S. monthly cost, but also introduced a new yearly option at a discount. DAZN launched in Spain in February 2019, becoming its eighth market. The service went live with a roster of exclusive premium sport content including
MotoGP, Moto 2 and Moto3 (2019–2022),
EuroLeague, EuroCup and
Premier League. Other rights included
FA Cup,
EFL Cup,
Coppa Italia and
Supercoppa Italiana,
EFL Championship,
UFC, Golden Boy, Matchroom Boxing and
PDC Darts. On 8 March 2019, DAZN signed a three-year, six-fight deal with
Gennady Golovkin, under which it would broadcast two fights per-year. The contract also includes two cards per-year from Golovkin's GGG Promotions beginning in 2020. The deal began with his June 2019 bout against Canadian boxer
Steve Rolls. Golovkin's promoter explained that the choice of a Canadian boxer was intended to help encourage DAZN subscriptions in the country. Golovkin cited the broadcaster's "global vision" as an influence on the decision. On 13 March 2019, DAZN re-organised the Perform Media division into DAZN Media with handling of advertising and sponsorship sales for DAZN's global operations, including the "DAZN+" program (which coordinates "personalised communications" between its partners and subscribers), and DAZN Player (formerly ePlayer), the group's syndicated video content service. In April 2019, DAZN premiered a new show,
Da Pull Up, hosted by
Akin "Ak" Reyes and Barak Bess, and premiered the first episode of
40 Days - docuseries chronicling the lead-up to Canelo Álvarez's bout against
Daniel Jacobs. In May 2019, the service announced an expansion into Brazil as its ninth market, acquiring rights to the
Copa Sudamericana and
Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, and other international football competitions among other properties. In July 2019, DAZN also reached a syndication deal with
Eurosport in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Spain, allowing DAZN subscribers to access live and on-demand sports programming from Eurosport in these regions. In addition, DAZN sub-licensed 45 Bundesliga matches from Eurosport in Germany and Austria over the next two seasons — with 39 exclusive to the service. In July 2019, former
Indianapolis Colts punter and
WWE personality
Pat McAfee signed a content deal with DAZN, which added television simulcasts of his podcast and
The Pat McAfee Show to the service, as well as contributions to shoulder content for DAZN's NFL rights. DAZN and McAfee terminated their broadcast partnership in May 2020.
Global launch and appointment of Shay Segev (2020–2021) In March 2020, DAZN announced that it would expand into 200 additional countries worldwide, with an initial focus on giving wider distribution to its boxing and original content portfolio. With the
COVID-19 pandemic resulting in widespread
suspension of international sport, DAZN stated in late March 2020 that it would not pay rightsholders for content that had not been delivered under their contracts. In May 2020, the
Financial Times reported that DAZN was seeking further investments in order to secure the future of the business, which had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, DAZN extended their carriage agreement with Eurosport through August 2023, and added Switzerland to the agreement. In October 2020, it reached a deal to sell stakes in
Goal,
Spox,
VoetbalZone to Integrated Media Company (IMC), a portfolio of
TPG Capital, and in December 2020 it sold
Sporting News to PAX Holdings. In January 2021, former
Entain CEO
Shay Segev was named the new CEO of DAZN, after having acted alongside founder James Rushton for the previous six months. In March 2021, former
Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International executive
Kevin A. Mayer became the chairman of DAZN, replacing John Skipper. That month, DAZN secured the exclusive broadcasting rights of Serie A TIM in Italy and LaLiga rights in Spain. DAZN announced a five-year agreement with Matchroom Sport in June 2021. It also announced a four-year global broadcasting deal for the
UEFA Women's Champions League (outside of China, the Middle East, and North Africa) under which it will partner with
YouTube to simulcast 61 matches during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. In July 2021, the company agreed an eight-year deal for the rights of Japan’s Women Empowerment League. In October 2021, DAZN launched its proprietary video player, Mercury. In November 2021, the company launched DAZN X, its innovation hub. In December 2021, DAZN was awarded the 2021 Apple TB App of the Year award.
Diversification, continued expansions (2022–2024) In 2022, DAZN began diversifying its platform beyond sports streaming to include a range of other sports entertainment, including the sale of tickets and merchandise, sports
non-fungible tokens (NFTs), gaming and betting. DAZN Moments launched on 24 March 2022, however, DAZN would later published a notice on their dedicated website stating that the service would be terminated on 30 November 2023, with no further purchases or sales available. DAZN Moments would no longer be held by customers after 14 March 2024. DAZN's NFTs launched in tandem with the
Canelo Álvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders fight reportedly failed to generate a profit. In April 2022, DAZN launched "DAZN Bet" in the UK and signed a strategic partnership with Pragmatic Group to develop its
sports betting product. Shay Segev, Dazn CEO, said: "The convergence of sports media and betting is the future.” In May 2022, DAZN signed a deal to carry
Red Bull TV, including live and on-demand content. That same month, DAZN signed a four-event deal with
KSI's
Misfits Boxing, carrying cards under the branding "MF & DAZN: X Series". In June 2022, DAZN announced a global broadcasting deal with British boxer
Anthony Joshua, beginning with his 20 August rematch against
Oleksandr Usyk in
Saudi Arabia. The deal was reported to be valued at £100 million per year, with Joshua also becoming a
brand ambassador for DAZN. In July 2022, Segev stated that there were plans to add more interactive features to the platform, such as "watch parties", alternative broadcasts of events, and sports betting integration. In August 2022, DAZN and Misfits Boxing launched "MF & DAZN: X Series", which is a series of crossover boxing events that have influencers and celebrities complete in the boxing ring. In September 2022, DAZN announced that it would acquire sports broadcaster
Eleven Group, expanding its position in parts of Asia and Europe, and in global sports streaming rights and technologies. The acquisition was later finalized in February 2023. Details of the acquisition were included in DAZN Group's published accounts, stating that Eleven was acquired on a share-only basis, while £35m in funding was provided to Eleven subject to an annual interest rate of 14%. In 2022, the company launched DAZN Store in Germany, its online
e-commerce platform for fan merchandise. That same year, DAZN reported revenues of $2.3 billion, over 70% increase from 2021, making it the highest grossing sports app in the world. In January 2023, DAZN signed a five-year deal with Misfits Boxing, and a multi-year agreement with
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to carry its programming in 42 Asian and European territories. In February 2023, DAZN announced that it had acquired the global rights to the NFL's Game Pass service outside of the U.S. and China under a 10-year deal beginning in the
2023 NFL season; it will be sold as a standalone subscription service on the DAZN platform. In January 2023, DAZN and Amazon agreed a global distribution deal for DAZN’s streaming service on Amazon’s Prime Video Channels platform. In March 2023, DAZN Chairman
Kevin A. Mayer two-year term came to an end. That month, DAZN also launched the DAZN 1 channel on
Sky in the UK and Ireland. In May 2023, DAZN launched two new global FAST channels, DAZN Combat and DAZN Women’s Football, which will be available globally through
LG,
Samsung TV Plus and VIDAA. In July 2023 DAZN announced a partnership with DAIMANI to launch an integrated ticketing product for DAZN subscribers. The same month, it also launched in Belgium, Portugal, and Taiwan, transitioning from former Eleven Sports services. In August 2023, it was announced DAZN had acquired US-based women’s football streaming platform
ATA Football. DAZN also launched in France, with the company reaching a sub-licensing agreement with
Canal+ to stream weekly
Ligue 1 fixtures on the service, and offer carriage of a DAZN 1 linear channel for Canal+ customers. DAZN also announced a five-year partnership with U.S. sports merchandise retailer
Fanatics, Inc.
Saudi investments, acquisition of Foxtel (2024–present) In October 2024, DAZN reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia's
General Entertainment Authority, giving it exclusive rights (co-exclusive within the
MENA region) to
Riyadh Season events, and international rights outside of MENA for its slate of boxing events. The agreement came amid rumours that the Saudi
Public Investment Fund (PIF) was seeking to acquire a stake in DAZN; In December 2024, DAZN acquired exclusive international rights to the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup. In November 2024, the company announced a deal with Queensberry Promotions, owned by Frank Warren, to broadcast its boxing events on the platform. In December 2024, DAZN announced that it would acquire Australian pay television provider
Foxtel from
News Corp Australia and
Telstra in a AU$3.4 billion deal. The sale, among other assets, will give DAZN control of Foxtel's
Fox Sports networks and
Hubbl streaming business, which includes competing OTT service
Kayo Sports. The acquisition was completed on 2 April 2025 following the approval of the
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and
Foreign Investment Review Board; DAZN stated that it would maintain the Foxtel name and its related brands. As part of the sale,
News Corp and Telstra acquired 6% and 3% stakes in DAZN respectively. In February 2025, it was reported that Surj Sports Investment, the sporting arm of Saudi Arabia's
Public Investment Fund, had agreed to invest $1 billion in DAZN for a stake of less than 5%. The deal was concluded weeks after DAZN, whose losses have exceeded $1 billion annually since 2019, secured the rights to broadcast the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and FIFA awarded the hosting rights for the
2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia as the sole bidder for the tournament. In March 2025, DAZN announced a rights agreement for the Saudi-backed
LIV Golf covering 200 territories, with exclusive rights in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal and Switzerland; this agreement will see DAZN host the league's FAST platform LIV Golf+, and develop a paid offering. In June 2025, DAZN sublicensed the Spanish-language rights to 38 UEFA Champions League matches in the United States per-season from
TelevisaUnivision; the package also includes Europa League matches, and simulcast rights for two quarter finals, the semi-finals, and final. Most of these matches had originally been assigned to its own streaming service
Vix. The agreement lasts through 2027, when TelevisaUnivision's contract expires; DAZN had sub-licensed U.S. Spanish television rights to the FIFA Club World Cup to TelevisaUnivision. On 30 July 2025, DAZN announced an agreement with the
National Hockey League (NHL) to move its international streaming service NHL.tv to DAZN beginning in the
2025–26 NHL season, as either part of the DAZN service or as an add-on subscription. The agreement covers around 200 countries, and succeeds a previous relationship between the league and
Sportradar; it excludes territories where the NHL has existing media rights deals, including Canada, the United States, and
Nordic Europe. In September 2025, DAZN announced agreements with
ESPN International to carry
ESPN College Football and
ESPN College Basketball broadcasts in parts of Europe, MENA, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom; the package includes up to 20 football games and 25 basketball games per-week, including rights to the
College Football Playoff and the
NCAA men's and
women's basketball tournaments (whose international rights are held by ESPN). As part of this agreement, the games would initially be streamed on DAZN's free tier. In February 2026, DAZN announced a five-year extension of its agreement with Matchroom Boxing to 2031. As part of the extension, DAZN will broadcast 30 boxing events by Matchroom a year. In March 2026, DAZN announced a six-year agreement with FIBA and Two Circles to move streaming platform Courtside 1891 to DAZN as a standalone offer. In April 2026, DAZN acquired ViewLift, a U.S. streaming provider founded by
Ted Leonsis that primarily provides streaming services for
regional sports networks and teams (with its clients having included
NESN, the
Vegas Golden Knights, and Leonsis's
Monumental Sports & Entertainment and
Monumental Sports Network). The company subsequently expressed interest in acquiring the regional rights to all or some of the 13 NBA teams formerly served by the
FanDuel Sports Networks (which wound down operations after an agreement to be sold to DAZN fell through), and possibly participate in the NBA's project to build an in-market "streaming hub" to aggregate regional broadcasters. == Availability and access ==