Matchroom leaves Sky Sports for DAZN in five-year, £100m deal – but Anthony Joshua fights aren’t included
Boxing promoter Matchroom has signed a deal with DAZN to show its fights exclusively on the sports streaming platform in the UK and Ireland.
The five-year agreement, reported to be worth more than £100m, begins in July when Matchroom’s contract with Sky Sports ends.
The deal also cements the relationship between Matchroom and DAZN, which already held exclusive rights to show the promoter’s fights in the rest of the world.
But Matchroom’s biggest name Anthony Joshua is not part of the agreement as the world heavyweight champion has his own contract with Sky Sports.
“Pushing the boundaries is something we will always continue to do and we needed a partner that shared our vision for boxing,” said Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn.
“As we continue Matchroom’s expansion worldwide, this new deal will enable us to further cement DAZN as the unrivalled global home of boxing.”
DAZN launched in the UK as part of a global expansion late last year with an initial price point of £1.99 a month.
“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,” said the company’s co-CEO James Rushton.
DAZN deal ‘huge blow for Sky’, says analyst
Media analyst Paolo Pescatore called the deal “a huge blow to Sky and “a statement of intent” by DAZN.
“The deal highlights the strong confidence Matchroom Boxing has in DAZN as underlined by the length of the deal,” added Pescatore, of PP Foresight..
“However, a cloud does hang over DAZN. The company is burning through lots of cash and is making a huge bet that its model pays off.
“It needs to have even deeper pockets to replicate key local sports rights in all markets as it has done in Germany and Italy with football.
“Customers will start to demand more sports in one place rather than signing up to numerous subscriptions across different platforms.”