It will include the UK and Ireland for the first time
Sport streaming service DAZN is to expand to over 200 territories in 2020, focusing on boxing first.
The first phase of the expansion will include an English language service focused on boxing and other fight sports. It will include fights from promotional companies such as Golden Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing USA and GGG Promotions – although this will differ between territories.
In addition, the live content will be accompanied by an archive of classic bouts and original content. The first global event will be Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s fight against a yet to be determined opponent on 2 May. British fighter Billy Joe Saunders has been reported as close to becoming the other boxer involved.
To date, DAZN has launched services in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.
With the expansion, the DAZN app will soon be available on most internet-connected devices globally. Major territories to be added to the streaming platform include the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Pricing by market is to be made known in the coming weeks – but it is confirmed to be via a monthly subscription.
For now, outside of existing markets, fans can gain early access through the DAZN beta community. Registration is open at their site, and official invites will go out later this month.
DAZN executive vice-president Joseph Markowski, who will run the global service, said of the announcement: “Since our launch in 2016, we’ve seen an encouraging level of interest around our key events from both international fans and potential partners, which highlighted the opportunity to capitalize on our existing rights portfolio within boxing to fuel our expansion.”
Lead analyst at Broadcast Intelligence, Jonathan Broughton, said of the move: “A move to global audiences will allow DAZN to exploit the efficiencies of certain deals across multiple markets.”
“We have seen this strategy play out successfully for rights-holders of entertainment content. However, for sports we have yet to see this approach deployed successfully. A number of players are moving this way, including the likes of Eurosport, who have secured distribution rights to the Olympic games in Europe.”