DAZN uses local team deals to target national US sports rights

DAZN is betting big on the US.

On 8 October, DAZN chief executive Shay Segev outlined a clear path for the broadcaster's expansion in the American market. Speaking at Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge, he argued that the company's current focus on local team agreements is the necessary first step toward a broader national presence. The strategy relies on establishing a foothold in the world's largest sports market before attempting to negotiate league-wide rights. It is a calculated move to build trust and infrastructure before the big money comes into play. This approach avoids the immediate financial risk of bidding for national packages without a proven local delivery model, allowing the firm to refine its operational capabilities while building a direct relationship with franchises that are increasingly isolated from traditional cable partners.

SportsPro reports that DAZN has recently acquired local rights or struck distribution deals with several teams across the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

These moves are designed to help franchises adapt to the decline of regional sports networks (RSNs) and the broader drop in pay-TV households. The company is not merely broadcasting games; it is providing the infrastructure for a direct-to-consumer shift that many teams are forced to make. This support is critical as traditional cable models crumble. By offering a viable alternative to failing RSNs, DAZN positions itself as a stabilizing force in a fragmented market, helping teams maintain revenue streams while they figure out their long-term digital strategies. The shift is structural, not just tactical, as the old distribution model proves unsustainable for a growing number of local markets.

DAZN spent a reported US$100 million to acquire ViewLift and Everpass Media.

ViewLift has built direct-to-consumer platforms for various teams, while Everpass Media distributes NFL Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants. These acquisitions allow DAZN to offer technological and customer service capabilities to other franchises, effectively creating a support network for teams dealing with the loss of their traditional cable partners. The tech stack is now in house. This vertical integration means DAZN controls the entire value chain from content acquisition to user interface, reducing dependency on third-party providers and potentially lowering costs per user over time. It also gives the company a competitive edge in negotiations, as it can promise a turnkey solution rather than just a broadcasting slot.

Segev noted that DAZN now works with around 35 teams across the US, a milestone he described as moving from zero to nearly half of the country's major professional teams.

He expressed hope that these local relationships will evolve into larger deals with the NHL and NBA. "We are not there just to become the local broadcaster for a team in a specific state," Segev said. "We want to become a bigger national broadcaster, ideally a global broadcaster as well, and a partner." This ambition signals a shift from being a niche operator to a major player in the global sports rights market. The company is leveraging its local success as leverage in high-stakes national negotiations, aiming to demonstrate its value as a comprehensive partner rather than just another streaming option in a crowded field.

The timing of this push is dictated by the current rights cycle.

The NFL and NBA rights are locked in for several more years, but MLB and the NHL are approaching renegotiation points. As RSNs continue to fail and pay-TV subscribers decline, there is a growing possibility that rights will be centralized at the league level rather than remaining fragmented among local broadcasters. DAZN is positioning itself to be a key player in that potential centralization. The window is opening. This strategic timing allows DAZN to enter the conversation with proven local metrics and a ready-made infrastructure, making it a more attractive option for leagues looking to consolidate their media rights in a changing landscape.

Beyond North America, the company is looking to deepen its relationship with Serie A.

DAZN is already a major partner for Italy's top-flight soccer league in various territories, including the UK. Segev stated that he and Luigi Di Siervo, the Serie A chief executive, are discussing a global partnership. The goal is to replicate the model used for the FIFA Club World Cup, which DAZN held global rights to previously. This expansion into international soccer complements its US sports strategy by diversifying its portfolio and strengthening its position in key European markets. It demonstrates the company's ability to operate across different sports and regions, enhancing its overall value proposition to rights holders seeking global distribution partners.

"As a global platform that wants to be the biggest sport platform in the world, we have to focus on the biggest market in the world, which is clearly the United States," Segev told the conference. "The market is quite complex, so we'd been trying to think about the right way to get in."

The broader industry is watching how these local experiments scale.

According to The Desk.net, DAZN is looking to scale its US sports business through these regional deals. This approach mirrors a wider trend in the sports media space where streaming services are becoming the primary distributors for both global and local content. The technology underpinning these streams is also evolving, with platforms seeking more efficient ways to deliver high-quality video to fragmented audiences. This shift is not just about content distribution but also about data collection and user engagement, as streaming platforms gather valuable insights into viewer behavior that traditional broadcasters cannot easily access. The ability to monetize this data is a significant advantage in the modern sports media ecosystem.

While the sports sector focuses on rights, the underlying technology infrastructure is shifting toward more resilient and cost-effective models.

Cloudflare recently launched K2 in public beta, a serverless event streaming service built on R2 object storage. InfoQ reported that K2 offers about one second of produce latency at the p99 level. This technology is designed for environments where traditional streaming architectures, such as Apache Kafka, are too heavy or complex for edge computing scenarios. For broadcasters like DAZN, which are expanding their digital footprint, such efficient backend technologies are becoming increasingly relevant for managing large volumes of real-time sports data and video feeds. The adoption of such tools could significantly reduce operational costs and improve reliability, making it easier for streaming platforms to compete with traditional broadcasters in terms of service quality and consistency.

Streaming is reshaping the value chain.

In Asia, streaming services have captured half of the sports rights market, a shift that has reshaped the value chain for leagues and broadcasters. While DAZN focuses on the US and Europe, the success of streaming-first models in other regions provides a precedent for the viability of this strategy in North America. The key question remains whether local team deals can generate enough revenue and audience data to justify the massive cost of national league rights. This is a critical test for the entire industry, as the success or failure of these local deals will determine the future of sports media distribution in the US and potentially worldwide.

DAZN's strategy is a bet on the structural changes in the US media market.

The collapse of the RSN model is creating a vacuum that only large-scale streaming platforms can fill. By acquiring the necessary technology and local relationships, DAZN is attempting to position itself as the default solution for teams and leagues alike. Whether this translates into a national deal will depend on the outcomes of the upcoming NHL and MLB rights cycles. The company has laid the groundwork, but the final test will be in the boardrooms where national rights are negotiated. Success will require not just financial strength but also the ability to deliver a superior viewer experience that justifies the cost to consumers and partners alike.

The company's ability to execute on this vision will be tested in the coming months.

As Segev noted, the US market is complex. But with 35 teams already in its orbit, DAZN has built a significant base from which to launch its national bid.