DAZN’s New Deal with Top Rank Highlights Its Growing U.S. Ambitions in Boxing
DAZN, a sports streaming service, has officially announced a multi-year rights deal with boxing promoter Top Rank, marking a significant shift in its strategy in the U.S. The announcement was made during a press briefing held at Madison Square Garden, where executives from DAZN and Top Rank outlined their plans for the future of boxing on the platform.
DAZN’s CEO of Growth Markets, Pete Oliver, and Global Chief Revenue Officer, Walker Jacobs, were in attendance alongside Top Rank President Todd duBoef. Following the briefing, they hosted a press conference featuring a selection of Top Rank fighters.
This new streaming agreement provides Top Rank with its first media platform in the U.S. since its partnership with ESPN ended last summer. Historically, the promotion has enjoyed close ties with premium cable networks such as HBO and Showtime over its six-decade existence.
While specific programming details are still in development, the partners expressed hope that the deal will facilitate regular bout scheduling on DAZN’s basic subscription tier, ideally on Saturday nights. In addition to boxing, DAZN has established itself in soccer, holding rights to leagues such as Italy’s Serie A and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Oliver remarked on DAZN’s growth trajectory in the U.S., stating, “We’ve made great progress here in the last couple of years.” The privately held, UK-based company claims to be profitable, positioning itself as a significant contender as media rights become available, bolstered by financial backing from billionaire Len Blavatnik.
John Skipper, a former president of ESPN, led DAZN as executive chairman from 2018 to 2022, piquing interest about its potential in the U.S. Kevin Mayer, a former Disney executive, succeeded Skipper as chairman from 2021 to 2023, furthering the intrigue surrounding the platform.
Despite earlier ambitions, recent years have seen a more cautious approach to growth. Jacobs’ arrival was a notable strategic move; his experience at Amazon—where he was instrumental in sports initiatives for Prime Video—adds to the company’s capabilities in the market.
Initially critiquing the pay-per-view model, DAZN has since pivoted back towards it with the introduction of its Ultimate tier, which offers a higher subscription rate that includes numerous pay-per-view events. In 2024, DAZN reported an 11% revenue increase from the prior year, totaling $3.2 billion. Oliver indicated that the Ultimate tier is gaining traction, contributing to the platform’s expanding revenue.
As competition for live sports grows, with platforms like Prime Video, Amazon, and YouTube entering the fray, DAZN faces an increasingly crowded market filled with bidders vying for U.S. rights. Traditional media outlets and new entrants alike have launched sports-centric streaming services, intensifying the competitive landscape.
Despite these challenges, Oliver declared, “We want to do more here. We’re investing more in rights.” A recent collaboration with FIFA has also given DAZN a stake in the streaming service FIFA+ and rights to broadcast 2026 World Cup matches in Italy. Jacobs highlighted their partnership with TelevisaUnivision, which secured select Spanish-language rights to UEFA Champions League matches.
Boxing remains a foundational sport for DAZN. Jacobs emphasized its importance, stating, “It’s been the basis of our U.S. business, and it’s the thing we’ve been doing, I think, the best and the longest. We have huge ambitions here.”
The Top Rank agreement signifies DAZN’s commitment to delivering officially sanctioned matches featuring contemporary fighters, rather than exhibitions, which duBoef criticized as outdated. He cautioned against focusing on fighters from the past, saying, “Don’t get lazy and cheap and go backwards and start talking about guys that don’t exist in today’s world, but they existed 15 years ago.”
