Perform Group’s DAZN is formally debuting its U.S.-based video subscription service today, with the domestic OTT rollout following similar entries into other territories including Germany, Japan, Canada, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. As detailed in a series of high-profile announcements this summer, DAZN will be heavily focused on combat sports, with content from Bellator and Matchroom Boxing forming key pillars of the service’s programming offerings. The service will cost $9.99 per month following a one-month free trial. DAZN’s first major live event will be the Sept. 22 Anthony Joshua-Alexander Povetkin heavyweight fight. The U.S. version of DAZN will be accessible across most major smartphone, tablet and connected TV platforms, with the service itself featuring a visually oriented, tile-based interface that seeks to balance search and user discovery not unlike the interface used by Netflix. “We’ve brought in a lot of learnings from our other markets into the U.S.,” said DAZN Head of Programming Scott Woodgate. “There’s been a lot we’ve been able to do in terms of using data and matching users up with content.” The DAZN service will vary based on which platform is used to access it, with the mobile version more focused on short-form content. DAZN will carry 15,000 live events per year globally. The service will not include commercials in live events unless contractually obligated to do so.
