Perform kicks off live sports streaming service in three European countries
UK-based media company Perform has launched its live sports video streaming service in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
DAZN – inexplicably pronounced Da Zone – is described by Perform as the world’s first dedicated live sports streaming service and allows subscribers to watch games on demand.
Football is expected to be the services' top draw with the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, Frances' Ligue 1, and Spain's La Liga games all aired live.
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Perform first revealed plans for the service in June after picking up the rights to air highlights of Bundesliga football matches online and DAZN will screen the highlights of all games of the first and second-division German football Bundesliga – initially through a collaboration with current rights holder Axel Springer. For the following season Perform Group will hold the rights itself.
Games from the US NBA and NFL, as well as tennis, motorsports, boxing, ice hockey, rugby and darts will be available on the service.
Simon Denyer, chief executive of Perform, said:
German sports fans can choose to watch the sport they love whenever and wherever they like, with no long-term fixed contract and no advertising.
Incredible moments in sport happen every day, not just during the major events. We won’t make the broadcasting choices for you.
Many have previously dismissed the idea of live streaming sports due to the soaring costs of acquiring rights to league games.
Some have suggested it would be possible for the likes of Amazon – which has recently invested heavily in its online streaming service – or Netflix could launch an assault of the traditional broadcasters.
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Sky and BT snapped up the rights to air Premier League games live in the UK in the last round of bidding, splashing more than £5bn on a three year deal which begins in less than a weeks time with the start of the latest season.
This week a major probe into the rights to air Premier League football on UK television has been dropped by the regulator.
The two-year probe has been drawn to a close after Ofcom decided there was enough progress being made on making more games available to watch while football fans seemed largely happy.