Sir Leonard Blavatnik has invested a further $827m into his sports streaming service DAZN.
The Financial Times (FT) reported that Blavatnik’s latest finance injection in DAZN takes his total investment to more than $6.7bn since it was founded in 2016.
The FT said that DAZN had about 300 million monthly customers around the world in 2023, according to company insiders, but only around 20 million paying subscribers. Rights costs were $3.1bn in 2023.
Last year, DAZN agreed a deal with FIFA to become the exclusive global broadcaster of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and also secured extensive domestic rights to Ligue 1 French football. These added to its existing roster of domestic rights to key European football leagues, including Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A.
In December 2024, it struck its biggest deal yet, agreeing to buy Foxtel from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Telstra in a $2.1bn deal which includes control of its portfolio of domestic and international sports right broadcast rights including cricket, the Australian Football League and National Rugby League.
As part of the deal, the former owners of Foxtel are taking a 9% stake in DAZN to make them the second largest shareholders in the company. The FT said the deal values DAZN at close to $10bn.
The paper also reported that DAZN is seeking investment from the Middle East to support its plans to become “the Spotify of sport.”
You are not signed in
Only registered users can comment on this article.
WBD mails definitive proxy statement to finalise Netflix merger
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will hold a special meeting of shareholders to vote on the merger with Netflix on March 20, 2026. In the meantime, WBD has begun mailing the definitive proxy statement to shareholders for the meeting.
Digital switch-off prospect nullifies Arqiva’s value
Arqiva’s main shareholder has admitted that its holding of the transmission company might be worth nothing.
Warner Bros Discovery mulls re-opening sales talks with Paramount
Warner Bros Discovery is considering reopening sale talks with Paramount Skydance Corp, according to a Bloomberg report.
.jpg)
BBC unveils fresh cost-cutting drive
The BBC is set to make cuts of around 10% of its costs in the face of "substantial financial pressures" over the next three years.
.jpg)
Report warns of unsustainable financial pressure for UK’s film and TV workforce
A survey examining the financial health of workers in the UK’s film, TV, and cinema industry has reported that a large proportion of the workforce is under severe and escalating financial pressure and that many are being “forced to leave” due to unsustainable circumstances.
.jpg)
