Yuzo Iwakami (10) of Omiya Ardija in action during the J League match against Kawasaki Frontale at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium on Jun. 25, 2016. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
DAZN, a subscription based OTT sports streaming service, announced a partnership with Limelight Networks last week. Under the new partnership, DAZN will now use Limelight to help deliver its content for thousands of major sporting events a year, across more than 100 different channels.
The streaming service first began working with Limelight after signing a contract with Japan’s top soccer division, the J League, in 2016. Modeling had shown that DAZN‘s existing server capacity would max out in the region. So DAZN turned to Limelight’s content delivery network (CDN) as a means to ensure that it maintained high quality streaming and to position it for further international expansion.
“No one wants an important play in a game interrupted by buffering,” said Robin Oakley, head of distribution technology at Perform Group, DAZN’s parent company, in a statement. “Working with Limelight, we’re able to create and deliver a broadcast-like experience low on buffering, low on start-up times, and high on picture quality.”
SportTechie Takeaway
OTT streaming has become a huge part of sports content viewing and DAZN is one of the major new players in the space. The addition of Limelight’s CDN should help DAZN meet rising streaming quality expectations. Additionally, while this move was triggered by DAZN’s contract with the J League, it may also support the company’s expansion into the US market.
