DAZN is significantly accelerating its U.S. market expansion, acquiring EverPass Media in a large-scale agreement that brings in the exclusive commercial distributor of NFL Sunday Ticket.
In the latest of a six-month wave of aggressive dealmaking, the London-based DAZN will rebrand EverPass to “DAZN for Business,’ marking the latest shift for the EverPass business that the NFL’s 32 Equity arm and RedBird Capital Partners originally formed in 2023. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The EverPass pact adds to a still-growing run of agreements for DAZN as it seeks to gain a bigger foothold in the American market. Its other recent deals include:
- An acquisition of streaming technology developer ViewLift
- Individual team-level deals with the Timberwolves and Pacers, with several more soon to arrive, building off the recent demise of regional sports network operator Main Street Sports Group
- An agreement with the Gotham Sports partnership involving the YES Network and MSG Networks in which DAZN will become the exclusive local streaming home for seven pro teams, including the Yankees and defending NBA champion Knicks.
Each of these agreements extends beyond DAZN’s original base in soccer and combat sports.
“DAZN can now serve every type of customer in the U.S., from individual sports fans using the DAZN app to commercial venues,” said DAZN Group CEO Shay Segev.
32 Equity, RedBird Capital Partners, and TKO Group Holdings will become minority shareholders in DAZN.
Sunday Matters
In this new structure, DAZN for Business will retain its exclusive commercial distribution rights for NFL Sunday Ticket, mirroring the consumer-level service offered by YouTube TV.
The EverPass commercial business has relied on an IP-based technology platform to provide games to multiscreen venues. A recent contract extension between EverPass and satellite carrier DirecTV after a protracted negotiation, however, ensures that bars and restaurants will not necessarily be forced to stream NFL Sunday Ticket.
In some pockets of the country, there has been heavy resistance to shift to streaming for NFL games, the most-watched programming in all of U.S. television, given the cultural and technological issues still often associated with the digital medium.
Other existing EverPass commercial distribution rights conveying to DAZN in this acquisition include streaming agreements with ESPN, Amazon, Peacock, and Apple TV, among others. Those pacts involve live games for nearly every major pro and college league.
Editors’ note: RedBird IMI, in which RedBird Capital Partners is a joint venture partner, is the primary investor in Front Office Sports.
