DAZN expects its global subscriber numbers to return to pre-COVID levels — said to be around 8 million subscribers — by the fourth quarter, acting CEO James Rushton told staff during a town hall-style meeting on Thursday.
It’s not known how many subscribers DAZN lost during the pandemic, but Rushton’s message was that subscriber defections were lower globally than expected.
Reasons for the optimism moving forward are centered on the return of live sports this fall, including the NFL. DAZN holds NFL rights in Germany and Canada.
DAZN executives also are encouraged by the planned return of European soccer, including Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Champions League. Plus, DAZN executives expect the streaming service’s boxing card to receive a boost with the expected returns of Canelo Álvarez and Anthony Joshua.
During last week’s meeting, Rushton announced two appointments to DAZN’s executive committee: Chief Customer and Innovation Officer Veronica Diquattro, who joined the company in 2018 after seven years at Spotify; and Chief Subscription Officer Ben King, who joined DAZN last year after 12 years at Apple. Both Diquattro and King will be based in Milan and will report to Rushton.
