DAZN Plans To Be “Da Zone” For Boxing And MMA Fans Tired Of Costly And Disappointing Pay-Per-Views

In the competitive field of streaming services, it can be a challenge for sports fans to get every game and league in one platform, compelling them to scramble between multiple over-the-top services, their friends’ cable logins and even the still-prevalent illegal streams. And if you’re into combat sports like boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA), you know that there isn’t a single destination that serves those fans in the same way that MLB.tv, NBA League Pass and the like have provided those team-based leagues.

All that will change with the launch of DAZN this September. The UK-based over-the-top streaming service has made its mark in several countries, including Germany, Japan and Canada with live broadcasts of games from some of the top professional sports leagues in the world. However, with many of those same leagues having already licensed streaming rights through cable networks, operators and select OTT firms, DAZN’s imprint here in the United States will look a little different. The streamer will begin with a hearty diet of nothing but boxing and mixed martial arts.

Partnering with another UK-based outfit, Matchroom Boxing, DAZN will launch its US service with a major championship fight as the undefeated WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Josuha will make his seventh title defense against Russian slugger Alexander Povetkin live from London’s Wembley Stadium on September 22nd. And before fans would think of unsubscribing before the end of the platform’s 30-day trial period, DAZN plans to follow up the Joshua/Povetkin card with a loaded boxing card in Chicago featuring Demetrius Andrade and Jesse Vargas. On the MMA side of things, it has partnered with Bellator MMA, obtaining exclusive rights to the promoter’s new Welterweight Grand Prix, a ten-fighter tournament that will begin with the September 29th card in San Jose, California.

DAZN (it’s called ‘Da Zone,’ though it’s understandably tempting to say ‘Das-zin’) is owned by Perform Group, which committed $1 billion in partnership with Matchroom Boxing and Bellator MMA to provide fight cards and more. Matchroom’s decision to join DAZN was two-fold: to build an American presence with established fighters (including overlooked female boxers such as world lightweight champion Katie Taylor), and assert itself against U.S. and Mexico-rooted promoters like Golden Boy, Premier Boxing Champions and Top Rank.

Besides the upcoming events, the biggest selling points for DAZN are the availability across nearly every device possible and its price point, where subscribers would pay $9.99 per month (before taxes, of course). The price is reminiscent of another sport, or rather sports entertainment-focused OTT service, the WWE Network. When the wrestling promoter launched the platform in 2014, it used its flagship event, Wrestlemania, to entice users while heavily promoting the $9.99 price point, even as part of the scripts for Monday Night Raw and what’s currently known as Smackdown Live. Of course, there isn’t going to be the hokeyness of such details, but both promised a wealth of original content to go along with what would traditionally be considered pay-per-view events on linear TV.

In the American combat sports space, DAZN is essentially competing with long established players in the game. HBO and Showtime still push a combination of cable network telecasts and pay-per-view events, though they’ve become fewer and fewer over the last decade. But while they’ve also brought their linear feeds into the digital realm, the digital-only ESPN+ is making noise with matches exclusive to the service, including the most recent bouts from Terrance Crawford and future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao. Where their streaming services are an extension of their traditional channels, by proxy for DAZN, they are also an extension of the stodgy and almost oligarchic ways of American boxing.

DAZN’s CEO James Rushton has a lot of respect for what those three networks have provided over the years, but says that DAZN was launched to “disrupt the status quo” in sports. “American fans have gotten a raw deal with boxing for a long time,” he told Decider, lambasting the price of pay-per-view events that have gone upwards of $100 for lackluster undercards and main events that may not live up to top billing. Instead, that event pricing would be spread out over a full year, but with a steady diet of live fights and engaging content that goes beyond promoting the next match.

To keep American fans excited until the September release, the company will be continuing with its media tour throughout the United States with events to bring future customers on board. DAZN will also kick off a significant social media campaign to keep the service top of mind in the coming months, especially leading up to the Joshua/Povetkin fight.

Until then, practice saying ‘Da Zone’ to yourselves until it’s time to subscribe.

Jason Clinkscales is the managing editor for The Sports Fan Journal, editor at Yardbarker and contributing writer for Awful Announcing. A New York City native, he is also a former media research analyst in both television networks and advertising agencies.