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- ViewLift operates DTC services for 15 major league teams
- DAZN eyeing local sports as means to expand in US
- Amazon, ESPN and others also keen on aiding transition
DAZN has acquired streaming tech and services provider ViewLift in a deal reportedly worth US$100 million designed to aid further expansion into the US and the local sports media rights market.
ViewLift currently offers end-to-end streaming capabilities to major league sports teams, leagues and broadcasters, including several franchises who have created in-house direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms as an alternative to selling their in-market rights to a regional sports network (RSN). Clients include LIV Golf, NESN, and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Vegas Golden Knights.
The acquisition allows DAZN to offer a wider range of technical services to sports properties and puts it in a stronger position to win businesses from teams affected by the imminent demise of Main Street Sports Group, the largest operator of regional sports networks (RSNs).
Despite terminating or losing deals with several teams due to its financial challenges, Main Street’s FanDuel Sports Network still owns local rights to 13 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and seven NHL franchises.
These rights will be handed back ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, leaving affected teams needing to find an alternative route to market.
DAZN, which had been linked with acquiring Main Street last year, sees local rights for major league sports as an opportunity to increase its presence in the US. Bringing ViewLift into the fold means it can offer both technical and distribution capabilities to teams wanting to launch a DTC platform.
These DTC services would operate independently but non-exclusive or exclusive distribution agreements with DAZN would have the added benefit of allowing the company to offer local sports on its platform without the expense of directly investing in rights.
DAZN already offers a wide range of third-party services on its platform, including the international versions of National Football League (NFL) GamePass and NHL.TV.
The presence of these services on DAZN’s platform brings more users into its ecosystem, allowing it to monetise them through subscriptions, advertising, betting, ticketing, merchandise and other services. In exchange, sports properties receive technological expertise, global distribution and wider availability.
Given the value of local rights in the US, partnering with individual teams and acting as an aggregator for multiple DTC services would be an effective way for DAZN to increase its relevance without acquiring national rights for the major leagues which are either unavailable or too expensive.
However DAZN will face significant competition from the likes of Amazon, ESPN, Fubo and YouTube, all of whom want to add more local sports to their streaming platforms, as well as local over-the-air (OTA) broadcast stations, team-owned RSNs, and other tech providers like Kiswe who also want to be part of the solution.
ViewLift will also have significant value beyond local sports, opening the door for DAZN to offer similar services to properties seeking both end-to-end streaming capabilities and distribution from a single vendor. Such demand would provide even more content for DAZN to host on its platform and would drive more activity that can be monetised.
“This announcement is an exciting step forward in DAZN’s US expansion plans,” said DAZN chief executive Shay Segev. “ViewLift is a superb company – it’s a profitable sports technology business led by an experienced management team with deep relationships across the US sports ecosystem.
“The acquisition will enable DAZN to expand both its US presence and its platform capabilities – extending beyond its direct-to-consumer offering into a scalable B2B2C and SaaS model that allows leagues and clubs to operate their own digital products while leveraging DAZN’s global reach and technology.”
“Upon joining DAZN, we’ll bring our current clients in sports, entertainment, and news even deeper solutions to meet their evolving needs,” added Rick Allen, ViewLift chief executive.
“For major US pro sports teams, the combination will offer uniquely powerful future-proofing in a disrupted market. And for up-and-coming leagues and teams, we’ll provide a full suite of digital solutions with high-quality, cost-effective technology.”
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