DAZN will not produce its whiparound show “ChangeUp” for the shortened MLB season after the two sides butted heads over rights fees, according to sources. A blog called The Streamable was the first with this news. Neither MLB nor DAZN would comment for this story. At the end of March, DAZN told leagues that it would not pay rights fees for any games that were suspended because of the pandemic. Those calls included MLB. In November '18, DAZN signed a three-year, $300M deal to carry a nightly "NFL RedZone"-style show. DAZN still has two more years on that contract, which was cut by Exec Chair John Skipper. DAZN has stripped all mentions of MLB or “ChangeUp” from its website, and the company has not tweeted about MLB for months. The two sides were not able to agree on a pro-rated price for the rest of the season. It is not clear how much MLB wants DAZN to pay, the size of DAZN’s counteroffer or even if DAZN made a counter. It also is not clear if either side has pursued legal proceedings in this case. DAZN originally cut that deal as a way to set up a relationship with one of the top leagues in the U.S., a market where it looked to grow. Sources said DAZN execs grew unhappy with viewership numbers last season for the show, hosted by Adnan Virk and Scott Rogowsky.
