Movistar, DAZN Spanish sports rights deal
January 21, 2021
Movistar+, Spanish telco Telefónica’s entertainment platform and sports streaming platform DAZN have reached an agreement that will offer more sports content to their customers.
The agreement will see DAZN distributed through new channels on Movistar+. In addition, DAZN has acquired the exclusive exploitation rights to the Formula 1 World Championship for the next three years, until 2023. Coverage of F1 will be made available on DAZN and via the new DAZN F1 channel, available on both platforms from March 1st.
The agreement will see DAZN integrated with Movistar+ throughout the year. The new alliance with Movistar adds DAZN alongside others such as Netflix and Disney+ on the platform, strengthening Movistar’s position in the Spanish entertainment market.
DAZN, which is available in more than 200 countries and territories, closed a number of strategic collaborations in 2020 which it says enhance the sports viewing experience. They include Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica O2 in Germany, Vodafone in Italy and KDDI in Japan.
Movistar’s Premium customers and those who already have Formula 1 content in their Movistar TV package will gain access to DAZN and the new channels DAZN1 and DAZN2 from January 21st , with additional multi-event channels planned to provide coverage of all competitions. DAZN’s multi-sport offering includes Premier League, MotoGP World Championship, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Copa del Rey, UFC, CONMEBOL Libertadores, basketball EuroCup, WTA and Coppa Italia.
“This agreement with DAZN reinforces our sports offer and will enrich the experience of all sports fans,” asserted Emilio Gayo, President of Telefónica España. “This relationship reaffirms our commitment to always offer our customers the best content of our own, through our original production and the most relevant content, through the partners who lead the audiovisual industry. To Movistar+ now comes DAZN, an alliance that will celebrate all the successes of sport.”
“The agreement with Movistar+ is a great example of how entertainment platforms and operators can collaborate to deliver more satisfying and intuitive viewing experiences for sports fans,” added James Rushton, Co-Chief Executive Officer at DAZN Group. “It’s also an important moment for the business as we execute on our strategy to drive further growth in our core markets. Starting in March, our customers in Spain will enjoy exclusive coverage of Formula 1 and with this acquisition, DAZN becomes the must-have platform for motorsport fans in Spain.”
Thanks to the signing of Carlos Sainz by Ferrari and the return of Fernando Alonso to F1, DAZN and Movistar+ customers will experience one of the most eagerly awaited seasons in recent years.