Matchroom & DAZN: The Groundbreaking Deal

The worst kept secret in British boxing was finally let out yesterday as promotional giants Matchroom Boxing announced their new deal with broadcasting partners DAZN. This has changed the landscape of boxing for fans as all Matchroom shows will now move exclusively to the global streaming service, cutting ties with their long-term partners Sky Sports.

It seems that Eddie Hearn, Matchroom’s promotor, has sensed the direction these modern times are moving in as streaming channels have become more popular in recent years and thus has capitalized on that with this 5-year deal which boxing has never seen before.

In a video uploaded on Matchroom Boxing’s Youtube channel, Hearn explained the benefits this has on boxing viewers who tune in every weekend to watch his fighters in action.

“For fight fans, this means more live events, more value for money, more round-the-clock storytelling…and more global events for you to watch from any screen from nearly anywhere in the world.”

The promoter is doing what he does best and making things sound as great as possible, but it is all the truth too. Fans no longer have to worry about forking out money on top of their costly subscription during a night of PPV boxing, as DAZN simply require the monthly subscription price and nothing else regardless of what fights they broadcast. It is also worth noting that the price of this subscription is just £1.99 a month…yes you read that correctly, fans can access world class boxing on a regular basis for that small sum of money.

Another change that this deal has brought about is the level of control Matchroom have over the production of their own shows, which is what Hearn implied with ‘round-the-clock storytelling’. This will be news well-received by fans as many take to social media on a fight night to voice their distaste for DAZN’s current production. However, Matchroom being able to control their own narrative and talking points may leave cause for concern that they may stray from impartiality and favor storytelling that suits their brand.

That is all up in the air though and time will tell if any negatives do come of what seems to be a deal too good to be true for boxing fans. DAZN believe that this collaboration with Matchroom Boxing will do nothing but bring more success to them and their boxing partners as they have put their money where their mouth is, investing an alleged £100M into a deal that has changed boxing as we know it.