A boxing-centric streamer goes global — can it KO ESPN+?

DAZN, the sports-streaming service with the oddball name that built its brand on boxing, is expanding to 200+ markets around the globe, The Wall Street Journal reported.

DAZN is bobbing while others weave

John Skipper, the company’s chairman and an ex-ESPN president, says his outfit (pronounced “da zone,” which, uh… if you say so, Skip!) wants to go big internationally before its biggest competitors.

• The company has about 8m paid subscribers, compared to ~7.6m for ESPN+, the Worldwide Leader’s subscription streaming service.
• DAZN is already available in 8 countries outside the US.

So why place such a big bet overseas?

Because broadcast deals are da zone where dreams are made…

… and they’re spoken for inside the US. The domestic rights to broadcast major sports leagues are already owned by the big networks.

DAZN is landing a few jabs in its overseas fight: In December, it TKO’d long-reigning champ Sky for the right to broadcast Champions League soccer in Germany.