DAZN opts for subscription model for select boxing events
DAZN opts for subscription model for select boxing events
The sports streamer will pivot away from a pay-per-view model for boxing matches from The Ring and Riyadh Season starting this year.
Using pay-per-views to distribute marquee events is a time-tested formula that consumers wish would fade into history. While we don’t anticipate that PPVs will leave the world of UFC any time soon, two major boxing promotions are deciding to leave PPVs behind this year. Each of them distributes matches on their DAZN, which will launch a new subscription option to offer the fights going forward.
Key Details:
- R&R: Boxing matches from Riyadh Season and The Ring are headed away from the PPV model.
- New subscription plan: DAZN will provide a new subscription option called ‘The Ring Pass’ for watching matches.
- Others watching?: The timing of the change might have an effect on UFC negotiations.
Turki Alalshikh of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority (GEA) confirmed on social media that both Riyadh Season and The Ring boxing promotions will be shifting from PPV to a new, subscription-based model in the near future. Alalshikh said that the PPV arrangement has “damaged” boxing, and that these promotions will eschew it going forward.
The last Riyadh Season PPV is set for Aug. 16, a bout between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte. Boxing events from Riyadh Season and The Ring will both still play out on DAZN, but will be available in a new “Ring Pass” subscription product that will cost less than the streamer’s PPVs do currently. More information about The Ring Pass will become available soon.
‘We’re currently shaping the details and working closely with partners to bring [The Ring Pass] to life – with the goal of making boxing easier to access, simpler to follow, and better value for fans who want everything,” DAZN said in a statement.
There is a certain logic to moving away from PPV streams from DAZN’s perspective. When viewers are confronted with a service that charges $20 per month in the United States, as DAZN does, as well as a PPV fee to watch a top boxing match, they often turn to illegal streams to watch instead.
The news could have an effect on UFC negotiations, even if I don’t anticipate a change in how those fights are offered. UFC’s American broadcast rights are up for sale, and could be drawing interest from platforms like Netflix and others. It’s not inconceivable that those platforms could approach UFC with a subscription option to watch its fights as opposed to the PPV model it uses on ESPN+ currently.
What do you think about the idea of a subscription model for top combat sports events? Do you hate PPVs, or are you just fine with the old system? Let us know below.
DAZN
DAZN is an international sports streaming service dedicated to live and on-demand sports programming. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has expanded to become one of the world’s leading sports streaming destinations, offering coverage that varies by region and includes boxing, soccer, MMA, women’s sports, motorsports, and other major competitions.