DAZN ENHANCES ‘HOME OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL’ POSITION WITH ATA FOOTBALL DEAL
DAZN ENHANCES ‘HOME OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL’ POSITION WITH ATA FOOTBALL DEAL
- DAZN has completed the acquisition of ata football – a platform for premium women’s football content and community engagement
- Acquisition further underlines DAZN’s position as the ‘Home of Women’s Football’
- ata football’s network, reputation and integrated approach provides DAZN with an unparalleled opportunity to grow the women’s game
- DAZN will use ata football to establish a women’s sports vertical within the business
- ata football co-founders, Esmeralda Negron and Hannah Brown, to join DAZN
15 August, LONDON – DAZN Group, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, has completed the acquisition of ata football. ata is a platform that brings together premium live and curated women’s football content and connects it to fans and players of the game from broadcast distribution through to direct engagement with the grassroots.
DAZN’s commitment to, and investment in, women’s football is significant and strategic. From the ground-breaking partnership with YouTube to develop the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the creation of bespoke FAST channels, innovative distribution deals, and the transitioning of premium women’s football competitions into fully-fledged commercial propositions; DAZN has a vision and ambition for the sport that is unrivalled by any other major streamer or broadcaster.
Bringing ata football into the DAZN family will significantly increase the visibility, growth and development of DAZN’s status as the ‘Home of Women’s Football’. Founders Esmeralda Negron and Hannah Brown have built a trusted and far-reaching network across the women’s football ecosystem from the professional game to the grassroots. Working with all the critical stakeholders in the growth of women’s football they are laying the foundations for exponential growth in the sport in terms of visibility, value and viability.
DAZN Group CEO Shay Segev said, “DAZN and ata football share the same view when it comes to women’s football, the strength of game lies in its participants, fans and distinct appeal. By harnessing these characteristics, we believe that DAZN can build on the foundations our investment in the women’s game has delivered so far. The progress that has been made in creating visibility for competitions like the UWCL, LigaF, Frauen Bundesliga amongst others, has seen value created in the whole ecosystem. More viewers, higher attendances and better sponsorship deals. With Esmeralda and Hannah joining the team at DAZN to establish a women’s sport business unit, we are confident that DAZN will keep setting the pace in this area of huge potential, as well as establishing even better and greater links with the communities that are driving the women’s game on to ever-increasing heights.”
ata football co-founders, Esmeralda Negron and Hannah Brown, said, “Three years ago we recognised there was significant opportunity for the growth in audience and engagement in the women’s professional game, and also the real near-term challenges to achieve that. Over a million young girls play grassroots football in the US alone and are largely unconnected to the professional women’s game. Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed the rise of women’s footballin the storied clubs of Europe, significant investment, and development of leagues across all markets, exponential growth of national team football and advocacy across the landscape. Now is the time to build the product, partnerships, and experiences to fuel the women’s football ecosystem and become the global community for fans and players of the game.
“We would like to thank 777 Partners who invested in us from launch for their belief in our vision and absolute commitment to ata football. This acquisition by DAZN to combine our assets and capabilities presents an extraordinary opportunity to build a truly global women’s football business; we can’t wait to get going.”