DAZN Revolutionizes Women's Football: Lifts Paywall and Launches "New Deal" Campaign
Subtitle: Sport and Entertainment Platform Champions Free-to-Air Women's Football Coverage for Global Growth
In a groundbreaking move for women's football, DAZN, the sport and entertainment platform, has announced the removal of its paywall on all women's football content. This initiative is part of their "New Deal" campaign, urging stakeholders in the women's game to envision substantial commitments for its growth and development.
As a direct consequence of the paywall removal, fans in the UK can now enjoy free access to all remaining Women's Champions League matches this season. Additionally, DAZN will offer free-to-air coverage for 48 games in Spain's Liga F, 48 in the Frauen Bundesliga, 19 in France's D1 Arkema, 50 in Italy's Serie A Femminile, and 15 in the Women's Saudi Premier League. The decision extends beyond immediate benefits, as these games will remain free to air for the foreseeable future.
Hannah Brown, the co-chief executive of women's sport at DAZN, emphasized the company's commitment to long-term free-to-air coverage. "The decision marries with the broader commitment to the launch of free," said Brown. "Women's football sits as part of that strategy. For us as a business, it's the growth of a really important asset and about building a first-party relationship with customers on a global basis."
DAZN had initially acquired exclusive global broadcast rights to the Women's Champions League in 2021 and formed a partnership with YouTube. While there were previous plans to shift some games behind a paywall after two years, this decision was overturned in November, leading to the current initiative of opening up access to coverage of other leagues as well.
Brown explained, "What we see in women's football is if you put a paywall up, there is a small proportion of people that are prepared to pay for it. Women's football fans don't exhibit those strong pay-TV characteristics that we've seen around premium football in domestic markets, where you see customers make a real pay choice in order to interact with something. Women's football fans are just not there yet."
Alongside the removal of the paywall, DAZN is calling for bold, long-term investments from women's football stakeholders to collectively build the audience. The "New Deal" campaign, named after the historic 1967 women's football tournament in Deal, Kent, aims to emulate the spirit of change by encouraging collaboration among clubs, sponsors, media, and broadcast organizations.
"In terms of assets and capability, this is a once-in-a-generational investment opportunity," remarked Brown. "I don't think there's any other sport asset class that is as exciting as women's football. And the struggles the game has been through to get to where it is today means that the bedrock of support it has is going to be very hard for anybody to pull back from."
DAZN's bold steps mark a transformative moment for women's football, fostering accessibility and aiming to propel the sport into a new era of global prominence. The "New Deal" campaign sets the stage for collaborative efforts that could reshape the landscape of women's football for generations to come.