DAZN’S KEY MILESTONES

Frustrated with the status quo, Simon Denyer and a group of senior executives from Perform came up with the concept for a global sports entertainment platform to deliver a direct-to-consumer streaming service for sports fans across the globe. Led by James Rushton, DAZN was born.  

Key rights secured in Japan, DACH focusing on international and domestic football such as Premier League, J League for a 10–year rights deal and LaLiga. DAZN establishes key offices and production facilities in Tokyo and Munich and builds first version of the new OTT service.

DAZN enters the sports streaming market with a bang as it launches in key markets, DACH and Japan. A roster of sports including the top European football leagues, NFL, NBA, and much more is shown on the platform. 

J League, the top level of the Japan Professional Football League, goes live in Japan and DAZN’s first major telco partnership with Docomo is signed.

DAZN launches in the US, breaking into the market with a landmark eight-year deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing described as “the biggest ever deal in boxing,” with initial agreement to stage 16 live shows a year. 

John Skipper joins as executive chairman of DAZN Group 

DAZN launches in Italy in with select Serie A TIM rights and a distribution  partnership with Sky.  

DAZN secures Champions League rights in DACH followed by a deal with Sky.

DAZN further invests in its global original production strategy with the launch of specialist content development arm, DAZN Studios,  including exclusive documentaries with Ronaldo and Mourinho. 

DAZN continues huge expansion and growth in Europe, launching in Spain with exclusive Moto GP and Premier League rights. 

DAZN launches in Brazil, extending its global reach to nine markets. The launch saw the market acquire rights to various soccer properties, including the Copa Sudamericana South American club competition, Italy’s top-flight, Serie A, and the French top-tier, Ligue 1. 

DAZN sublicenses Bundesliga rights from Eurosport, broadcasting the Bundesliga matches in DACH.

DAZN extends its extensive and exclusive UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga rights in Germany from 2021.

Fans able to stream sporting events on the Sony PS5 console with DAZN 

A significant moment for DAZN as it launches it global platform, going live in 200+ countries and territories with an English-language service. 

Kevin Mayer, the former chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at The Walt Disney Company and former CEO of TikTok, becomes DAZN’s chairman.

DAZN becomes the primary broadcaster for Italy’s top-flight football championship Serie A TIM in Italy until 2024, marking the seminal tipping point in the migration of sports consumption from linear pay TV to OTT, in one of the largest deals in DAZN’s history. DAZN also signs multi –year agreement with TIM.  

DAZN strikes deal to enable customers to pay for DAZN with their mobile plan 

DAZN and Matchroom strike game-changing five-year global deal to bring Matchroom UK fights exclusively to DAZN in the UK and Ireland for the first time. 

Shay Segev joins from FTSE100 gaming company Entain to lead DAZN into next phase of growth 

DAZN enters ground-breaking partnership to bring UEFA Women’s Champions League to fans around the world, broadcast on YouTube live and for free. Alongside this, DAZN launched its six-part ‘We All Rise’ Series.  

DAZN has further boosts its rights portfolio in Japan with the Women Empowerment (WE) League in an eight-year deal. The WE League, Japan’s new elite tier of women’s football, started inaugural season in September 2021. 

DAZN launches Dynamic Ad insertion technology integration working towards greater personalisation and more sophisticated Ad technology.

DAZN launches its new innovation hub DAZN X formed through the acquisition of the video streaming innovation company TEXEL.   

DAZN consolidates its position in the Spanish market securing exclusive local broadcast rights to 175 LaLiga matches per season over the next five seasons. 

DAZN named the Apple TV App of the Year in the tech giant’s 2021 App Store Awards, which recognises the 15 best apps and games across Apple’s various devices in the year. 

DAZN began a foray into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in partnership with Mixi, known as “DAZN Moments”, in partnership with the J League 

DAZN cements its mission of the diversification of the platform, creating a partnership with Pragmatic Group to operate sports betting services under the DAZN Bet banner and Mark Kemp joins as CEO. 

DAZN expand its offering into live extreme sports through Red Bull TV, being the first linear channel to be made available globally on DAZN. 

Canelo vs Bivol billed as the ‘Legacy is Earned’ fight, an epic clash between 4-division world champion, Canelo Álvarez, and defending WBA light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol, with Bivol prevailing as the winner by unanimous decision. 

Ground–breaking deal with Anthony Joshua, seeing the two-time former unified world heavyweight champion join DAZN as a brand ambassador and all his future fights broadcast on DAZN’s sport entertainment platform to customers worldwide.

DAZN launches an innovative crossover boxing series, in partnership with KSI and his promotional company Misfits Boxing under the billing “MF & DAZN: X Series”. 

DAZN strikes agreement to acquire ELEVEN Sports and Team Whistle, expanding its position in parts of Asia and Europe, and in global sports streaming rights and technologies, building bigger and younger audiences through its short-form content. 

DAZN acquires global broadcasting rights to Finetwork Liga F and Frauen-Bundesliga, adding to its growing repertoire of women’s football offering.

DAZN launches its first e-commerce offering with the DAZN Store in DACH, where fans can purchase exclusive DAZN branded collections and fan merchandise from the world of sports and entertainment via the DAZN Store 

DAZN and Professional Fighters League agree to a joint venture to create PFL Europe, which when launched in 2023, will be the first regional league ever from a global provider of MMA.   

The National Football League (NFL) and DAZN agree a 10-year partnership to deliver NFL Game Pass International (NFL GPI) to sports fans around the world beginning with the 2023 season.   

Be sure to look for DAZN on the big screen in the critically acclaimed CREED III. The story follows boxing champion Adonis Creed as he navigates the sudden return of a former friend who is looking to settle a score.

DAZN and Virgin agree distribution deal which will see a selection of DAZN’s top-quality boxing and combat sports available to Virgin TV customers as PPV and the DAZN app on Virgin set-top boxes.

This extension shows DAZN’s commitment to and investment in its Japanese business and is vote of confidence in DAZN’s future, cementing it as the future of sport and the ultimate sports destination platform.

DAZN launches new linear channel, DAZN 1 HD, on 429 on Sky ahead of Anthony Joshua comeback fight, making this the most accessible and affordable in over a decade. DAZN 1 HD will play a selection of live and catch up sports content to fans in the UK and Ireland.

DAZN  joinS the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the largest and most effective global anti-piracy coalition, to tackle the piracy operations that threaten the sports broadcasting and streaming industry.