As expected, DAZN has ramped up the price of its UK subscription service for boxing.
‘The Netflix of sports’ made a huge splash earlier this summer when it lured Eddie Hearn and Matchroom away from Sky Sports in a blockbusting deal.
The deal meant Hearn’s UK shows would now also appear on DAZN in the UK, as well as the U.S. shows the service already aired.
When DAZN launched in the UK in January, the price was frankly ludicrously cheap at just £1.99 per month – for that fans were getting a smattering of top-quality fighters, including reigning P4P king ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and young sensation Ryan Garcia.
That was obviously not going to last for ever – it was a hugely smart play to get users to sign up cheaply en masse. There was almost no downside.
When the Matchroom/DAZN alliance became a global one, the price rise in the UK was inevitable – both Hearn and DAZN chief Joe Markowski admitted it would happen post-Fight Camp.
They both also said the public would be pleasantly surprised at where the price point eventually landed. It was pretty much exactly where we expected – somewhere in that £6-8 price bracket that Netflix and Amazon Prime have so happily inhabited.
In an email to subscribers, the streaming business said:
“DAZN is increasing the price of its monthly subscription to £7.99. For existing DAZN subscribers, the new monthly price of £7.99 will come into effect from 30 September 2021 unless cancelled.
“If you signed up to DAZN via in-app purchases on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you will need to accept the new £7.99 monthly price to continue your DAZN subscription. You will receive further information via email from Apple or Google detailing how to accept the new DAZN pricing in advance of any changes to your account.”
While Hearn’s UK shows now air on DAZN – making that price rise almost inevitable – there is of course one notable exception for now. That is IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
AJ defends his belts against Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday September 25 in what will be the last fight on his existing deal with Sky Sports. After that we expect a huge bidding war for his next broadcast deal in the UK, with DAZN right at the front of the queue.
AJ of course always now fights on pay-per-view (on the Sky Sports Box Office), so while DAZN has been opposed to that model up until now Markowski did admit the platform would be creative in its approach to talks with Joshua.