DAZN Draws 'Significant Subscriptions' From Alvarez-Jacobs Fight

The boxing match this past weekend between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs was a success for the streaming sports video service DAZN (pronounced “da-zone”) the company says.

DAZN says 1.2 million people streamed the fight, with the “vast majority of the viewership” in the United States. It just entered the U.S. market last year, and also operates in Canada, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

The match “generated significant paid subscriptions — both annual and monthly — to deliver against projected revenue targets,” according to DAZN.

That would mirror what happened to ESPN+ earlier this year when it hosted its first UFC match. The ESPN-branded streaming service saw nearly 600,000 new subscribers the weekend of that match.

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DAZN is a startup compared to ESPN, although it is being led by former ESPN president John Skipper, who recently brought in former ESPN executive Jamir Horowitz to develop new programming for the service.

The company has leaned heavily into boxing as it seeks growth and will stream the first U.S. fight for boxer Anthony Joshua in June.

DAZN is also seeking to bolster its U.S. advertising and sponsorship business, but it needs a certain amount of scale to have any significant impact in the market. With its slate of boxing matches finally launching, the company is hoping the scale necessary to compete for ad dollars is on the horizon.

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