DAZN has signed a new five-year deal with boxing promoter Matchroom that will see major boxing bouts move from Sky to the Len Blavatnik streaming service.
It brings to the end a six-year agreement with Sky; matches will also be seen as part of the regular DAZN subscription, rather than on pay-per-view.
At least 16 Matchroom UK fights would be made available annually, exclusively to DAZN subscribers in the UK and Ireland, from July 2021 onwards.
“This historic deal builds on the success and momentum of our long-term partnership with Matchroom around the world and solidifies DAZN at the forefront of the global sports streaming era,” DAZN Co-CEO James Rushton.
DAZN and Matchroom already hold contracts in the United States, Italy and Spain, where UK events will also be shown.
“We have made the monumental decision to sign a historic 5-year deal with sports streaming giant DAZN,” said Matchroom Boxing Chairman Eddie Hearn. “This means that our UK events will now be broadcast live on DAZN along with all Matchroom shows across the world. Pushing the boundaries is something we will always continue to do and we needed a partner that shared our vision for boxing, and who was also willing to make the investment to make those dreams a reality.”
Matchroom has recently created its own production company, Matchroom Media, who will now be responsible for live production.
DAZN continues to demonstrate it poses major competition to the established pay-TV sports platforms. In Germany, DAZN has the rights to the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League, while in Italy the company holds rights to Serie A.