Global OTT service DAZN has agreed a major sublicensing deal with Disney-owned sports broadcaster ESPN, picking up the rights to a major slate of US college football and basketball fixtures for the European and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) markets.
DAZN will showcase around 20 games per week from the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships throughout the season, as well as 63 games of the major annual NCAA March Madness men’s and women’s national championship tournaments (including all of the elite eight, final four, and national championship matchups).
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In terms of college football, DAZN will air 25 games a week across the regular season from ‘power four’ conferences such as the ACC, Big 12, and the SEC.
This will also include the post-season College Football Playoffs and the national championship game, alongside other prominent “Bowl Games” that ESPN holds the rights for, in addition to the weekly College GameDay shoulder program.
DAZN will make this content available initially free-to-air as part of its widening freemium tier “for a limited time,” before likely introducing a paywall.
DAZN chief executive Shay Segev commented: “DAZN is committed to bringing the best possible entertainment experience and a comprehensive portfolio of thrilling U.S. college football and basketball content to fans in selected territories in Europe and MENA.
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By GlobalData“Working with ESPN, this agreement allows DAZN to expand its global offering of premium North American sports properties, extending beyond NFL Game Pass and NHL.TV. It also means DAZN can broaden access to exciting U.S. sports content and support top-tier leagues in growing their international fanbases.”
ESPN college sports rights in Europe and MENA were initially housed on the ESPN Player service in Europe, which was discontinued in 2023, with the rights sold off or simply disappearing from screens.
DAZN’s rights include prominent European markets such as the UK and Ireland, Italy, the Nordic Countries, Portugal, Greece, and Belgium, among others, while in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), the deal will only cover college football, due to ESPN’s existing deal with upstart streamer Dyn Media.
The deal also includes 25 MENA nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, and outside of the Europe and MENA regions, also covers the Philippines.
