History of DAZN in Timeline

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DAZN

DAZN is a British over-the-top sports streaming and entertainment platform founded in 2007, resulting from the merger of Premium TV Limited and Inform Group. It is owned by Access Industries, founded by Sir Len Blavatnik. Headquartered in London, England, DAZN is led by CEO Shay Segev (since January 2021) and has Lincoln Benet, John Gleasure and Guillaume D’Hauteville as non-executive directors.

3 hours ago : DAZN: Paul vs. Chavez Jr. Undercard Features Schofield vs. Farmer and More Fights

DAZN's Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard will include a fight between Floyd Schofield and Tevin Farmer. Schofield sees this as a big opportunity to prove himself. More fights were also added.

2007: DAZN Founded

In 2007, DAZN was founded as Perform Group through the merger of Premium TV Limited and Inform Group.

2007: Perform Group Creation

In 2007, Perform Group was created through the merger of Premium TV Limited and the Inform Group.

February 2011: Acquisition of Goal.com

In February 2011, Perform acquired Goal.com.

2013: Acquisition of Opta Sports

In 2013, Perform Group bought Opta Sports.

2013: Formation of Sporting News Media

In 2013, Perform Group combined its U.S. businesses with The Sporting News to form Sporting News Media, in which it took a 65% stake.

November 2014: Delisting from London Stock Exchange

In November 2014, Perform Group was delisted from the London Stock Exchange after Access Industries increased its stake in the company.

December 2014: Media Deal with WTA

In December 2014, Perform and the WTA announced a 10-year media deal, under which they would jointly form WTA Media to manage and distribute its media rights.

2015: DAZN Platform Founded

In 2015, the DAZN platform was founded to broadcast live and on-demand sports in over 200 countries.

February 2016: Acquisition of J.League Media Rights

In February 2016, Perform Group acquired exclusive worldwide media rights to Japanese J.League football under a 10-year contract.

February 2016: Partnership with FIBA

In February 2016, Perform Group and the FIBA announced a partnership to distribute and sell broadcasting rights to its basketball competitions.

August 2016: DAZN Launch in Multiple Countries

In August 2016, DAZN launched in Austria, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland and was described as the "Netflix for sport".

July 2017: Expansion into Canada

In July 2017, DAZN announced that it would expand into Canada, after having acquired over-the-top streaming rights to the National Football League in Canada, including NFL Game Pass and access to NFL RedZone.

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August 2017: Content Sub-Licensing Deal

In August 2017, DAZN reached a deal to sublicense content from beIN Sports Canada, including selected UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, as well as other international sports rights.

November 2017: Acquisition of FIBA Rights in Canada

On 20 November 2017, DAZN acquired Canadian rights to International Basketball Federation (FIBA) events.

2017: DAZN to broadcast J.League matches

From 2017 all matches from the three J.League divisions (J1, J2, and J3) were broadcast under its new DAZN brand.

February 2018: Acquisition of Commonwealth Games and MLS Rights

In February 2018, DAZN acquired Canadian broadcast rights to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and subsumed Major League Soccer's digital out-of-market service MLS Live. Roku support was also added that month.

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Roku Express 4K+ | Roku Streaming Device 4K/HDR with Voice Remote, Free & Live TV

February 2018: Sub-licensing of Japanese Rights

In February 2018, DAZN sub-licensed Japanese rights to the B.League, Nippon Professional Baseball, La Liga, and the Premier League from Softbank.

May 2018: Acquisition of UEFA Rights in Canada

In May 2018, DAZN acquired exclusive Canadian rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, beginning in the 2018–19 season.

May 2018: Expansion into the United States

In May 2018, DAZN announced its expansion into the United States and the signing of a broadcasting deal with Matchroom Boxing.

June 2018: Streaming Rights Deal with Bellator

In June 2018, DAZN announced a five-year streaming rights deal with the Viacom-owned mixed martial arts promotion Bellator.

August 2018: Launch in Italy

DAZN launched in Italy in August 2018, with an acquisition of exclusive rights to 114 Serie A matches beginning in the 2018–19 season.

September 2018: Official Launch in the U.S.

DAZN officially launched in the U.S. in September 2018, ahead of its first boxing event of Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin on 22 September. Launch content also included the World Boxing Super Series, AFC Champions League, Chilean Primera Division, J-League and other content.

September 2018: Reorganization of Perform Group

In September 2018, DAZN's parent company Perform Group underwent a reorganization, with its sports data business spun into Perform Content, and its consumer properties retained as DAZN Group.

October 2018: Deal with Canelo Álvarez

In October 2018, DAZN announced that it had signed a five-year, 11-fight deal with Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez valued at a minimum of $365 million.

November 2018: Content Partnership with MLB

In November 2018, Major League Baseball announced a three-year content partnership with DAZN.

December 2018: Estimated Value of DAZN

In December 2018, DAZN was estimated to be worth £3 billion.

January 2019: Acquisition of AFC Asian Cup Rights

In January 2019, DAZN acquired the rights to broadcast the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in Canada and the United States.

February 2019: Launch in Spain

In February 2019, DAZN launched in Spain, becoming its eighth market.

March 8, 2019: Deal with Gennady Golovkin

On March 8, 2019, DAZN signed a three-year, six-fight deal with Gennady Golovkin, under which it would broadcast two fights per-year.

March 13, 2019: Re-organization of Perform Media into DAZN Media

On March 13, 2019, DAZN re-organized the Perform Media division into DAZN Media with handling of advertising and sponsorship sales for DAZN's global operations.

March 2019: Price Increase in U.S.

In March 2019, DAZN doubled its U.S. monthly cost, but also introduced a new yearly option at a discount.

April 2019: Acquisition of Premier League Rights in Canada

In April 2019, DAZN announced that it had acquired Canadian rights to the Premier League, replacing Sportsnet and TSN, under a three-year deal.

April 2019: Premiere of Da Pull Up and 40 Days

In April 2019, DAZN premiered a new show, Da Pull Up, and the first episode of 40 Days - docuseries chronicling the lead-up to Canelo Álvarez's bout against Daniel Jacobs.

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May 2019: Expansion into Brazil

In May 2019, DAZN announced an expansion into Brazil as its ninth market, acquiring rights to various football competitions.

June 2019: Golovkin vs. Rolls Bout

In June 2019, Gennady Golovkin's first fight under the DAZN contract was against Canadian boxer Steve Rolls.

July 2019: Syndication Deal with Eurosport

In July 2019, DAZN reached a syndication deal with Eurosport in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Spain, allowing DAZN subscribers to access live and on-demand sports programming from Eurosport in these regions. In addition, DAZN sub-licensed 45 Bundesliga matches from Eurosport in Germany and Austria.

July 2019: Content Deal with Pat McAfee

In July 2019, Pat McAfee signed a content deal with DAZN, which added television simulcasts of his podcast and The Pat McAfee Show to the service, as well as contributions to shoulder content for DAZN's NFL rights.

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2019: Perform Content Merged with STATS LLC

In 2019, Perform Content was merged with STATS LLC to form Stats Perform.

March 2020: Expansion into 200 Additional Countries

In March 2020, DAZN announced that it would expand into 200 additional countries worldwide, with an initial focus on giving wider distribution to its boxing and original content portfolio.

March 2020: Suspension of Payments to Rightsholders

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in widespread suspension of international sport, DAZN stated in late March 2020 that it would not pay rightsholders for content that had not been delivered under their contracts.

May 2020: Termination of Partnership with Pat McAfee

DAZN and Pat McAfee terminated their broadcast partnership in May 2020.

May 2020: Seeking Further Investments

In May 2020, the Financial Times reported that DAZN was seeking further investments in order to secure the future of the business, which had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 2020: Extension of Eurosport Agreement

In September 2020, DAZN extended their carriage agreement with Eurosport through August 2023, and added Switzerland to the agreement.

October 2020: Sale of Stakes in Goal, Spox, VoetbalZone

In October 2020, DAZN reached a deal to sell stakes in Goal, Spox, VoetbalZone to Integrated Media Company (IMC).

December 2020: Sale of Sporting News

In December 2020, DAZN sold Sporting News to PAX Holdings.

2020: Minority Stake in Goal Acquired

In 2020, DAZN acquired a significant minority stake in the leading football portal Goal after TPG's Integrated Media Company (IMC) acquired a majority stake.

2020: GGG Promotions

In 2020, Gennady Golovkin's GGG Promotions will start hosting two cards a year which will be broadcasted on DAZN.

2020: Cancellation of MLB Programming

Just before the start of the 2020 season, DAZN cancelled MLB-related programming due to financial stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 2021: Shay Segev appointed CEO

In January 2021, Shay Segev became the CEO of DAZN.

2022: End of MotoGP Rights in Spain

In 2022, DAZN's exclusive rights to MotoGP, Moto 2 and Moto3 in Spain are scheduled to end.

March 2023: Extension of J.League Deal

In March 2023, DAZN extended its deal with J.League to 2033.

August 2023: End of the Eurosport Agreement

The carriage agreement with Eurosport ended in August 2023.

2023: 20 Million Paid Subscribers

As of 2023, DAZN has reached 20 million paid subscribers globally.

2033: J.League deal extended to 2033

In 2033, the renewed DAZN's J.League contract will come to an end.