Billionaire Len Blavatnik is "plotting to split his sports media empire in two" and sell half of it to help finance his costly attempt to create the "Netflix of sport," according to Christopher Williams of the London TELEGRAPH. Perform Group, which owns live streaming service DAZN and a collection of sports rights, production and data businesses, is reportedly "working with bankers from UBS on the plans." Blavatnik, a British and American citizen who was born in Ukraine, "has pumped hundreds of millions of pounds into DAZN." It is "rapidly consuming cash" as it buys rights to football, such as the J.League and other sports around the world. London-based Perform announced a fortnight ago that it would reorganize itself to "separate DAZN and consumer websites such as Goal.com from its wholesale operations," which include video feeds for gambling operators and Opta, the data service used by football coaches to track player performance. The company will be renamed DAZN Group, with the wholesale business held under an independent governance structure as Perform Content. This unit is "due to be spun off" in a sale to new owners. A source said, "The money raised will help fund the growth of DAZN" (TELEGRAPH, 10/14).
