Global sports streaming heavyweight DAZN has secured exclusive rights to European club soccer's UEFA competitions in New Zealand through the next three seasons.
The platform has also, meanwhile, extended its rights covering English soccer’s top-tier Premier League (EPL) in both Spain and Portugal, from 2025-26 until the culmination of the 2027-28 campaign.
For the UEFA competitions in New Zealand, DAZN has snapped up rights to the top-tier Champions League, second-tier Europa League, and third-tier Conference League, for 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27.
The deal starts with the upcoming 2024-25 UEFA Super Cup – the annual clash between the winners of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League – on August 14, with Spanish giants Real Madrid taking on Italy's Atalanta in Warsaw.
For the last cycle – 2021 to 2024 – Spark originally bought Champions League rights in New Zealand, before the BeIN pay-TV broadcaster took over for 2023-24 as Spark exited the world of live sports rights.
This marks one of DAZN’s first significant entries into live sports rights in New Zealand, where up to this point Sky NZ – for the last few years – has been the dominant player in terms of top-tier properties.
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By GlobalDataFor the EPL, meanwhile, Spanish coverage has been provided by DAZN since the platform launched in that country in 2019.
The last renewal came in mid-2021, and runs through 2024-25.
GlobalData has estimated the total value of the last three-year deal between DAZN and the EPL as $84.8 million.
In Spain, DAZN now holds rights to the EPL, Italy's Serie A, and select games from the domestic LaLiga.
The broadcaster also covered the EPL in Portugal last season, taking over from previous rights holder Eleven Sports (which it acquired).
Elsewhere in terms of EPL rights deals for the next cycle, late July saw Saran Media unveil an exclusive agreement across a range of Eastern European and Central Asian territories.
Japanese rights were also announced last month, being sold to the U-Next streaming service.
Domestically, live rights through 2028-29 will be held by pay-TV heavyweights Sky and TNT Sports.