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Closing Bell

Perform Joins With Matchroom Boxing To Stream Fights In U.S.

U.K.-based global sports media company Perform Group has struck a large-scale joint venture with boxing promoter Matchroom Boxing to gain the exclusive U.S. rights to 16 fights per year for Perform’s DAZN live and on-demand multisport OTT streaming service. The eight-year deal is worth $1B in minimum rights-fee commitments from Perform, and represents a key underpinning of Perform’s intention to expand the more internationally focused DAZN into a key player in U.S. sports media.

“This is our confirmation that we’re going to be coming to the U.S. this summer, we’re ready for this, and we intend to make a major statement here,” said Perform Group CEO Simon Denyer. “To do that, we needed exclusive content. So what we’ve done is worked with Matchroom and signaled our intent to be the home of boxing in the U.S.” The planned slate of annual American fights will add to Matchroom’s existing 16 fight nights in the U.K. None of the fights on DAZN will be available on PPV.

Top Rank Boxing President Todd DuBoef, whose company last summer landed an ESPN deal that includes both traditional and OTT distribution, said of the Perform deal, “What do I think about overpaying to be on a smaller platform? I think we’ve seen this story play out before. When all the fights were on premium cable it narrowed the distribution and it shrunk the audience, long term. It wasn’t good for boxing. I’m not sure whether this will be, either. But I wish them the best of luck. It’s yet one more indication that people are seeing how much value there is in the sport of boxing.”

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