DAZN TO BROADCAST RIYADH SEASON WORLD MASTERS OF SNOOKER WORLDWIDE
DAZN TO BROADCAST RIYADH SEASON WORLD MASTERS OF SNOOKER WORLDWIDE
- DAZN chosen as global broadcast partner of World Masters of Snooker following announcement of 10-year deal between The World Snooker Tour and the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia
- The event comes in the week of blockbuster fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou as part of Riyadh Season
- The rights’ acquisition reaffirms DAZN’s commitment to growing sports profile in the MENA region
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, 4 March 2024 – DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, can today announce that Fans worldwide will be able to enjoy live coverage of the new Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker this week through DAZN’s freemium channels and services. The Masters, which starts today 10pm local time/ 7pm GMT, will see a million-dollar prize up for grabs.
The inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker will feature some of the world’s top snooker players – including, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and current World Champion, Luca Brecel.
Each game will be played under World Snooker rules and regulations but with the introduction of a unique new concept, a 23rd ball known as the Riyadh Season ball. This gold ball will be worth 20 points and can only be potted once all other balls have been successfully cleared from the table if a player is on a maximum break to make it 167.
This acquisition will play a key role in our long-term development in MENA and is a clear statement of DAZN’s commitment to the exciting and evolving sports fanbase in the region. It also highlights DAZN’s ambition to continue growing the market by offering fans the sport they want to see.
World Snooker Tour Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are delighted to give all fans across the world the chance to watch this event with extensive live coverage with our many broadcast partners including DAZN and Eurosport. This is an exciting new event and this will be enhanced by innovative production and presentation. It will be three days of fabulous viewing for the fans as the world’s best compete for a new trophy.”
As part of its undertaking to make even more of the best sport available to its customers, DAZN will be placing coverage in front of the paywall, meaning that fans around the world will be able to watch the landmark event at no cost. The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be a world ranking event featuring the following players:
- Luca Brecel
- Ronnie O’Sullivan
- Judd Trump
- Mark Allen
- Mark Selby
- Shaun Murphy
- Mark Williams
- Ali Carter
- Omar Alajlani (Wildcard)
- Ali Alobaidli (Wildcard)
This acquisition will build on the considerable success DAZN has already achieved in the region, particularly as the global broadcast partner of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, which has seen DAZN lead coverage of boxing blockbusters such as ‘Battle of the Baddest’ and ‘Day of Reckoning’ to record audiences featuring world renowned fighters such as Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou.
Significantly, the tournament comes in the week leading up to the landmark boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou in what will be the pinnacle of an already hugely successful Riyadh Season. As the Global Home of Boxing, this clash will be available globally on DAZN.
In the UK and Ireland, the snooker will be available on DAZN and broadcast across Eurosport, discovery+* and Eurosport App. This new agreement adds to Eurosport’s comprehensive snooker rights portfolio, holding pan-European broadcast agreements for 20 World Tour events, including all three Triple Crown tournaments: The World Championship, Masters and UK Championship.