Belgium’s main arbitration and mediation institution CEPANI has ordered DAZN to keep producing, broadcasting and paying for Belgian top-flight football until the end of the 2025/26 season, after the Pro League launched emergency arbitration proceedings following DAZN’s attempt to terminate its contract.
DAZN had argued it could not secure a financially viable distribution agreement with major telecom operators – notably Proximus and Telenet – leaving Pro League matches available only through the DAZN app. DAZN continued to carry games, but withheld its November instalment, triggering the league’s legal action
Under the interim measures, DAZN must honour its contractual obligations in full, including ongoing production and broadcast services, payment of outstanding and future instalments, and the implementation of agreed anti-piracy and geo-blocking commitments. The Pro League also says the decision requires DAZN to keep negotiating with telecom operators in an effort to conclude distribution agreements.
The arbitration decision includes the resumption of monthly payments of €6.6 million and the threat of penalties of €50,000 per day if DAZN fails to comply with specified requirements.
While not commenting directly on CEPANI’s decision, Massimo D’Amario, CEO of DAZN Belgium, confirmed that it had already committed to the production and broadcast of the Pro League prior to the arbitration. “It is important to emphasize that these provisional measures, including on interim payments, do not pass any judgment on DAZN’s legal position in the ongoing dispute with the Pro League. DAZN remains convinced that the CEPANI arbitration panel that will be constituted in the coming weeks will rule that the original contract ended lawfully. DAZN expects the arbitration panel to rule also on important issues of compliance with competition law.”
The dispute stems from DAZN’s latest Belgian rights renewal, awarded in December 2024 for the 2025/26–2029/30 cycle on reduced terms of around €83–84 million per season. Operator talks broke down in July 2025 over pricing and packaging, pushing DAZN towards an OTT-first strategy and prompting the Pro League to seek additional exposure via digital highlights sublicences with RTBF and VRT.
DAZN says it “remains available and willing to reach balanced agreements that guarantee the necessary stability within a viable commercial framework”.
