Alvarez' May 4 bout will stand as the truest measure yet of streaming's ability to capture a wide audiencegetty images
DAZN will "need the help" of Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya and boxer Canelo Alvarez if it wants to "reach the heights envisioned by its deep-pocketed owners," according to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. The path to success is clear -- Alvarez "must participate in the fights that most widely resonate with fans," while De La Hoya "must add more firepower to his stable of fighters." Alvarez' May 4 unification bout against Daniel Jacobs will "stand as the truest measure yet of streaming’s ability to capture a wide audience." DAZN Exec Chair John Skipper said, "We needed the prestige of this to get others to follow. Because if the biggest guy in the business is willing to work for us, everybody will." Pugmire notes DAZN is "starting its U.S. push with combat sports." Boxer Gennady Golovkin, who like Alvarez left his HBO deal to join DAZN, said that he aligned with the streaming service because of its "vision to connect with a younger audience that is familiar and comfortable with viewing streamed events." Sources said that DAZN "wants its subscriber base to top 1 million" following Golovkin's bout against Steve Rolls on June 8 (L.A. TIMES, 4/24).
COME TOGETHER: DIGIDAY's Seb Joseph notes DAZN has "worked hard to simplify the pitch of its ad packaging across its multiple brands spanning 30 markets." All of those brands are now "pooled under the DAZN banner as the business tries to drive higher CPMs from premium programmatic inventory sold to ad buyers directly." Before, DAZN "sold in a convoluted way, selling its sites separately across multiple fragmented markets." Now, those same sites are "sold together based on contextual targeting and audience segmentation." Being able to "aggregate audiences across several sites makes it easier for DAZN to sell its ads at a fixed price and guaranteed delivery of inventory as well as in private marketplaces" (DIGIDAY.com, 4/24).
