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DAZN Review: What Makes It a Good Cable Alternative for Sports Fans?

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Cord-cutters have more and more options these days to watch the content they love. Even for sports fans, it’s getting a lot easier to keep up. A relatively new startup streaming service aims to make it even easier to watch sports online. It’s called DAZN (pronounced “Da Zone”), and it launched in the US in 2018.

If you’re in Canada, see this review about DAZN Canada.

In a hurry? If you already know the details, get a DAZN subscription for $19.99 per month today, or check out the annual plan for a discount. No contracts with monthly plans, so you can cancel any time.

But what is DAZN? How much does it cost? What sports can you watch with it? Find out in this DAZN review below.

DAZN Pros & Cons

Here’s a brief summary to consider before digging deeper into this DAZN review. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons:

Pros

  • Affordable at $19.99/mo (the annual pass is an even better deal at $99.99 for a full year)
  • No contract
  • Excellent value for combat sports fans
  • Exclusive coverage of Canelo Alvarez fights, Anthony Joshua, and much more
  • Live & on-demand options
  • Broad device support

Cons

  • Coverage is mostly focused on MMA and boxing in most countries
  • Sports availability greatly depends on which of the nine supported countries you’re located in

What is DAZN?

DAZN is an online streaming service that offers both live and on-demand content. It’s solely focused on sports. At this point, the main focus (in most countries) is on fighting sports, including boxing (they have exclusive deals with Canelo Alvarez and GGG at this point and are adding more fighters) and MMA. It’s what’s known as an “OTT” service — “over the top,” meaning it delivers the content directly to you, cutting out a cable or satellite middleman.

That said, the company has plans to expand into other realms of the sporting world and has recently started taking steps adding things like a live MLB look-in show every evening (think of it as baseball’s equivalent to NFL RedZone).

dazn home

Basically, DAZN is a way to watch MMA (mostly Bellator) and boxing matches live, some baseball, and also catch up on replays of past events. Everything is included, so if you have a DAZN membership you’ll never be asked to pay for a PPV match.

Fight fans know that most of the big title fights are locked behind expensive paywalls. But not with DAZN! For one low monthly fee , you get full access to all the content on the service – including many fights that are normally pay-per-view!

DAZN is non-contract. You pay month to month and are free to cancel at any time.

DAZN costs $19.99 per month or $99.99 for the annual plan (That works out to just over $8 a month). The annual plan is a great deal, giving you a full year’s worth of fight nights and sports for about the price of one major PPV event.

How To Sign Up For DAZN

DAZN works over the internet. You’ll need a solid internet connection, a DAZN subscription, and a compatible device (or a computer) to use it.

Here are the basics:

  1. Sign up for DAZN
  2. You will pay $19.99 per month or get the annual plan for just $99.99 (a savings of over $10 a month)
  3. You are free to cancel any time
  4. Use DAZN on your computer, or download the DAZN app on your devices
  5. Browse an extensive library of on-demand replays of fights
  6. Check the schedule for upcoming MMA fights and boxing matches
  7. Enjoy live access to over 100 Fight Nights per year

DAZN can be used right on your computer, through a web browser. Or, you can download the DAZN app on your smartphone. It also works on streaming players like Roku and Apple TV — we’ve included a full list below.

Once you’re signed up, the service is quite easy to use. Sign in to your account, browse the available content, and choose something to watch!

DAZN Content 

Spoiler alert: it’s all sports.

DAZN was created by Perform Group (later called DAZN Group), a British sports media company. It originally launched in Europe (in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) in 2016, where it is now well-established. This means that DAZN is ahead of the game in terms of technical features when compared to other relatively newly-launched services.

Furthermore, DAZN owns sports streaming rights in nine countries around the world across dozens of sports.

The service offers both live sporting events and an on-demand library of replays and other exclusive content. On the live front, DAZN plans to host at least 100 fight nights per year. And that’s the entire fight night – from the undercard to the main event. For on-demand, there’s a wide selection of hundreds of past events.

DAZN Events in the US 

In the USA, DAZN is almost exclusively hosting combat sports events, combining both MMA and boxing. They have deals with Bellator, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, and more.

DAZN is a must-have for fight fans, simply because of all the exclusive rights they’ve secured. The most notable exclusive is ALL of Canelo Alvarez’s next 11 fights. As one of the biggest names in boxing, fight fans won’t want to miss any of Canelo’s fights – and now, the only place to see them is on DAZN.

dazn schedule
List of sports programmes showing on DAZN

Some other big names in boxing that DAZN has contracts with are Ryan Garcia, Anthony Joshua, Devin Haney, and Gennady Golovkin (GGG).

DAZN also offers coverage of cricket, soccer, eSports, darts, bowling, table tennis, and cue sports. Original programming came to the network in 2019 with shows like the Candid Camera-esque Da Pull Up and the Canelo Alvarez documentary 40 Days.

DAZN Canada

Canadian DAZN launched a year before the US version. In Canada, DAZN has rights to:

See this review of DAZN Canada for more.

DAZN Global

DAZN self-describes as the “leading” sports provider in Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain. In these countries, DAZN has secured top-tier German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese soccer broadcasting rights (which vary by country). Here’s a breakdown of sports rights in the top four DAZN countries:

Supported Devices

Your DAZN account can be associated with up to 5 devices, and you can watch on any two of them at the same time. 

DAZN works on most of your favorite devices, including Android and iOS:

  • Mobile
    • Amazon Fire Tablet
    • Android Phone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPhone
    • iPad
  • Smart TVs & TV Accessories
    • Amazon Fire TV
    • Android TV
    • Apple TV (4th gen)
    • Google Chromecast
    • LG Smart TV
    • Samsung Smart TV
    • Roku
    • Roku TV
    • Vizio TV
    • Xfinity X1
    • Cox Contour
    • Playstation 4
  • Game Consoles
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Playstation 5
    • Xbox One
    • Xbox One S
    • Xbox One X
    • Xbox Series S
    • Xbox Series X

Or you can stream it on your computer via DAZN’s website. DAZN supports Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

DAZN’s Got Big Plans

Eventually, we expect DAZN to be one of the best ways to watch sports without cable. In Europe, Japan, and even Canada, the service has several traditional live sports channels, but in May of this year, it added its first global linear channel, Red Bull TV.

DAZN is expanding in other ways, too. In April, it signed a deal to begin integrating live sports betting (watch out, FuboTV!). The soft launch is planned for the beginning of the coming football season in fall.

And in July, DAZN Boxing introduced the DAZN Boxing Global NFT Marketplace, with a special limited edition Ryan Garcia NFT free with purchase. An NFT is sort of like a digital collectable, like a sports card. Think of it as crypto-memorabilia.

Is DAZN Worth It?

Is DAZN worth the money? That’s up to you.

In our opinion, for big fans of boxing and/or MMA, it’s a great deal. It’s likely to continue getting better, as well, as the company expands its offerings.

We think that DAZN is certainly worth trying out. Whether it’s worth keeping long-term remains to be seen.

If you’re a die-hard sports fan and want to consider other online streaming options, it may be worth checking out the following:

  • FuboTV: 35+ sports channels included in the base plan with a 50 hour free DVR allowance to record the action. A total of 100+ channels for $69.99 per month with a free for 7 days! Find out more in our FuboTV review.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Pricier than DAZN and most other alternatives, though for $89.99 per month you get exclusive access to dozens of regional sports networks and even more premium sports channels. Learn more in our DIRECTV STREAM review.
  • SlingTV: From $35 per month you can get a decent range of sports channels with the option to add dozens more and keeping the bill under $50 per month. Currently, save $10 on your first month of Sling TV. Read more in this Sling TV review.

As the service expands, we’ll keep this DAZN review updated. Leave a comment if you have any questions!

FAQ

How Much Does DAZN Cost?

DAZN is a month-to-month subscription service, and it costs $19.99 per month or you can get an annual pass for $99.99 (works out to just over $8 a month). Given that a high profile fight can cost $80 or more on PPV, DAZN is a good value for fight fans.

That said, it’s close to the price of Netflix and other streaming platforms. Which don’t offer sports, of course – but offer significantly larger selections than a service like DAZN, nonetheless.

What franchises or events does DAZN provide in the US?

DAZN focuses almost exclusively on combat sports in the US, but there’s a smattering of non-fighting events as well. Some of the various promoters/leagues/sports/championships that get US DAZN coverage:

Which is better, DAZN or ESPN+?

While it’s tempting to compare them because they’re both sports-focused, DAZN and ESPN+ are completely different beasts. DAZN (globally-speaking) brings you exclusive combat sports and what would be pay-per-view events on other channels/services. For several years now they’ve been on a recruiting spree to get the top talent in boxing and MMA away from Showtime and other traditional TV fighting sports venues– and it shows.

ESPN+, on the other hand, is cheaper ($6.99/mo versus DAZN’s $19.99/mo), but is largely spill-over content from ESPNs 1-3. It’s true that ESPN+ does have an exclusive deal with UFC. It carries a wider variety of events than DAZN, without the laser focus on the combat sports. And ESPN+ is only available in the US.

Conclusion: if you’re seriously into boxing and MMA (excluding UFC), especially if you’re a fan of certain boxers such as Anthony Joshua, Gennady Golovkin, or Canelo Alvarez, you should go for DAZN. If you want a wider variety, more soccer, or you’re really into UFC, ESPN+ is the better match. FYI, ESPN+ is included with Hulu + Live TV.

For more information on ESPN+, see our full ESPN+ review.

Is DAZN available in the US?

Yes! DAZN officially debuted in the US in September of 2018, right before its first boxing match: Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin. At launch, it featured Matchroom Boxing, Bellator, the World Boxing Super Series. Ring announcer Michael “Let’s Get Ready to Rrrrrumble!” Buffer led the US ad campaign. The ads positioned DAZN as a less-expensive alternative to the traditional pay-per-view model.

What countries is DAZN available in?

Unclear. DAZN is definitely available in nine countries world-wide: United States, Italy, Spain, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, and Japan. It had big plans to expand to an additional 200 countries in 2020, and there are many press releases announcing the global launch on December 1.

However, on DAZN’s own site, their help section on where DAZN is available only lists those nine countries. It IS available on a limited basis in the UK, for £7.99/mo. We at HotDog.com were unable to confirm any other countries at this time.

Does DAZN have a free trial?

DAZN does not offer a free trial for new subscribers right now. It has offered 30-day free trials in the past. It also does not appear to have any free-to-watch content in the US currently. If you’re looking for free boxing and combat sports action, you could check out FITE.TV (FITE.TV review).

Does DAZN have 4K?

Not at this time. A major fan complaint — especially with soccer coverage — is that most live events are capped at 720p. On-demand content is available at 1080p. Keep checking back though, rumor has it that it’s in the works. For example, the service has been experimenting with 4K cameras to record Serie A soccer in Italy.

Does DAZN have on-demand content?

Yes! DAZN features both live events and a library of replays, behind-the-scenes, documentaries, and DAZN’s original series and specials, such as Como 1907: The American, The DAZN Boxing Show, and 40 Days. Membership also includes access to over 500 classic fights from DAZN’s Boxing Archive going all the way back to the 1990s. The Archive includes boxing greats like Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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0 replies on “DAZN Review: What Makes It a Good Cable Alternative for Sports Fans?

I Just purchased DAZN and the advertisement stated the Canella Alvereze fight was included for $159.00. After paying for the service I the fight was not included and cost another $59. Waht am I missing?

Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol was a pay-per-view event. This is pretty typical among combat sports. The most popular events require you to be a subscriber and then you have to pay more on top of that. That’s the case with all the UFC numbered events with ESPN+. It’s all strange because at the lowest levels, you can watch a lot absolutely for free — without any subscription at all.

DAZN has decided to screw over their members by not only raising the yearly subscription but by charging ppv fights. Looks like I’ll be cancelling my subscription as soon as the year ends for my contract.

DAZN provides a lot but they have been struggling financially. I don’t know what the future will bring. But fight fans are charged a remarkable amount of money. It isn’t just DAZN, either. It’s interesting that WWE charges a lot of money for PPV events, yet if you sign-up for Peacock, which is only $4.99/mo, they are included. I’m not suggesting that Alvarez vs Bivol is as cheap to produce as a WWE event. But it makes me wonder if these events couldn’t be a lot cheaper. And I wonder just how long PPV can continue on as a financial model.

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