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The way we consume international sport is undergoing a substantial change. While streaming has become an integral part of how we enjoy movies and television programming, professional sport has been emerging as the next frontier in that field.
One of the major players in sports streaming is British company DAZN. Launched back in 2016, it promised to shake up the traditional pay TV model that has dominated sports coverage and broadcast rights for decades. A planned launch into 200 more countries was delayed by the coronavirus. But it is now live and Australia is part of the global expansion.
Foxtel and free-to-air TV led the way for years in sports broadcasting in Australia before the arrival of Optus Sport in 2016. Kayo Sports then joined the fray, offering more than 50 sports and an aggressive price point. beIN SPORTS has also launched a streaming service and now we have DAZN. This is all you need to know about the newcomer.
DAZN, pronounced "Da Zone", offers live and on-demand content online and through its app. Initially available in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Japan, the markets of Canada, the US, Italy, Spain and Brazil were added over the next three years.
The coronavirus pandemic brought professional sport to a shuddering halt and with it DAZN's massive expansion plans. But it launched in 200 additional countries on Tuesday 1 December.
DAZN's sports content varies by geographical location. Boxing remains DAZN's principal offering, thanks to them owning global broadcast rights to Golden Boy Promotions, Matchroom Boxing USA and GGG Promotions fight nights.
In Australia, the global rollout will commence with some huge fights featuring some of the world's best pugilists, namely Canelo Alvarez, Anthony Joshua and Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin. Firstly the sporting world will be tuning in for unified heavyweight champion Joshua's next title defence against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on 13 December AEDT.
Alvarez fights Callum Smith in a super middleweight world title fight on 20 December AEDT, with Golovkin putting his middleweight world titles on the line against undefeated contender Kamil Szeremeta the previous day.
Capping a stellar month of boxing, rising American Ryan Garcia's WBC Interim Lightweight title fight with Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell, originally slated for 6 December (AEDT), has been rescheduled for 2 January after Campbell tested positive for COVID-19 in November.
In Australia, it will cost you just $2.99/month to access some truly world class sport. That's right, that's all you pay, with no additional charges for pay-per-view events.
In the US, DAZN has been priced at US$19.99 per month or US$99.99 for a discounted annual price. It also has a free trial offering. Perhaps influenced by the impact of the pandemic, DAZN officially stated the initial monthly price for its global launch "will be £1.99 or less".
DAZN has utilised a 30-day free trial in its initial countries that offer a wide range of sports. But for the global launch, the free trial will not be available. Potential customers do have an opportunity to freely browse the site before signing up, with no paywall in place. As stated above, the monthly cost is also much lower in the expansion than in some existing territories.
DAZN can be accessed on up to two devices at once. The full list of compatible devices is iOS, tvOS, Android mobile and Android TVs, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Tablet.
DAZN has the major UEFA tournaments in some territories, with the Champions League and Europa League broadcast into multiple countries. It has live and exclusive EPL and NFL rights in Canada, but the global expansion is focusing on boxing.
The company has reportedly been seeking up to US$1 billion in new funding and revealed in an exclusive interview with Finder, that it will look to add more broadcast rights for Australia if initial pick-up of the platform is encouraging.
DAZN will also have some additional feature or magazine-style programming. It has already released some slick content involving Joshua, Alvarez and Golovkin.
In Australia, boxing had previously been limited to Main Event when it came to big PPV events. Kayo struck a deal with Main Event this year to start showing some boxing PPVs including Tszyu vs Horn, Tyson vs Jones Jr and Gallen vs Hunt. DAZN offering another boxing alternative will be warmly welcomed.
Many of the countries DAZN is already active in have far more complex live sports streaming industries than Australia and a lot more players. In Australia the market is far more clear, but also ripe for growth.
With DAZN's well-established global network of partnerships, it's in a good place to bring a host of sports from Europe, Asia and the Americas to Australia. In particular there is the limited penetration of North American sports into the local market – just two ESPN channels, often not enough to even broadcast all the sport on offer live – which could easily be expanded upon.
In DAZN's interview with Finder, EVP Joe Markowski made it clear the company will look to leverage existing global relationships when it looks to invest deeper into the local market.
Speaking of ESPN, the Disney-owned sports channel has launched its own ESPN+ over-the-top app overseas, complete with exclusive content and original programming. It was not bundled with the launch of Disney+ in Australia, as it was overseas. A sign, perhaps, that Foxtel and Kayo Sports have the sports streaming scene under control.
The Australian launch of DAZN will certainly see some competition for the brand awareness of Foxtel, Kayo Sports and Optus Sport. It could be a slow burn for DAZN Australia to build out a compelling offering, but a bit more competition is usually a good thing in the streaming market.
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