In April of 2018, this observer received word as I was preparing to cover two separate main events being held in the United Kingdom on April 21st of that year, Amir Khan vs. Phil Lo Greco and Carl Frampton vs, Nonito Donaire that there would be a further shock to the system in terms of the way Boxing was broadcast here in the United States following the inception of ESPN’s first direct to consumer streaming network ESPN+, (Now ESPN Unlimited), which had launched days before and in fact, it was the Khan-Lo Greco bout that ended up being the first Boxing event ever televised on the platform. The further shock that I was informed about privately was the pending entry into the United States of another direct to consumer streaming entity whose focus would largely center on Boxing, DAZN.
Although it would be a few weeks later that the network dubbed by some as the “Netflix of Sports” would hold a press conference in New York to formally announce their entry with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as the centerpiece attraction to serve as the network’s main promoter, upon hearing the information I was given, I began researching what DAZN, which launched in 2016, had to offer in other markets internationally. As first and foremost a Boxing lifer and combat sports aficionado, but just as a sports fan in general, when I saw the amount of content offered in various regions, particularly amongst the major sports here in the United States, I would be lying if I said my mouth did not begin to water. Obviously, I knew that a global streaming network’s available content would vary by region due to existing broadcast agreements with various networks around the world and I also knew based on years of experience in covering media broadcast rights as it relates to Boxing and other combat sports, that there was not going to be the amount of content that I had seen offered internationally upon DAZN’s U.S. launch, primarily the major sports leagues in this country. What I did see, however, was potential.
With regard to Boxing, the network offered a schedule of events from both major and regional promoters that was unparalleled in the sport. While yours truly has written extensively over the years of the benefits of the subscription-based model as compared to the pay-per-view model, which had gotten out of control before DAZN’s launch, for the purposes of this column, the focus will be centered on how DAZN has strategically put together a roster of promoters and Boxing content that frankly has never been seen before on one platform as along with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and wider sports offerings under Matchroom Sport, the network eventually added Golden Boy Promotions under promoter and Hall of Fame fighter Oscar De La Hoya, OPI Since 82 out of Italy, the highly acclaimed World Boxing Super Series, as well as various other promoters who have appeared on the platform periodically. Most recently, the network had signed Hall of Fame promoters Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc. to multi-year broadcast agreements. Although having clearly established itself as the dominant broadcaster in the sport not just in the United States, but worldwide to a degree we have never seen in Boxing before, the network has not rested on its accomplishments as it continues to build to its platform. On July 9th, during the launch press conference for the upcoming WBA World Welterweight championship bout between champion Rolando Romero and former two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez an announcement was made that the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, one of the last remaining major promoters in the sport that had spent recent years as a largely pay-per-view centric promoter first through the now defunct Showtime Sports and most recently through digital streaming general entertainment network and platform Prime Video, had signed with the network on what was described as a multi-fight agreement with events being simulcast on Prime Video on a pay-per-view basis for the remainder of 2026.
In all honesty, I was not surprised when I was informed of the pending announcement as frankly, with the exception of a few obscure pay-per-view offerings promoted by independent promoters that have yet to align with DAZN, the PBC group of promoters was really the last hold out, who was attempting to continue to rely largely on what this observer has called the outdated and overpriced model of pay-per-view. Despite DAZN in the period following the global COVID-19 epidemic dipped their toes into the pay-per-view model, a decision that though understandable to an extent given the loss of revenue from the pause of live sports that occurred while the world was essentially shut down during the epidemic, I was highly critical of, which I stand by, the network has always been a subscription-based focused entity. With regard to the PBC’s recent history with Prime Video acting as a distributor for PBC pay-per-view offerings with a handful of free events for Amazon Prime members, though no one has access to how successful or not successful those events have been in terms of buys, the PBC, which launched in 2015 with its initial mission of “Free Boxing For All” with initial time buy arrangements with broadcast and cable networks, had seen its output of events year over year drop significantly as compared to when it launched. Although no one can say how successful a largely pay-per-view centric strategy was for the PBC. One could assume that continuing to rely on what became an increasingly outdated model and doing so at price points of $74 or above, may not have proven to be a winning approach for them, which could have necessitated aligning with DAZN after vocally opposing what the network was attempting to bring to the sport with a subscription-based focus for several years.
While pay-per-view still remains part of the sport, it should be noted that DAZN after testing the waters of periodically dipping its toes into the model, has reverted back to a subscription based approach with the introduction of DAZN Ultimate, a higher priced tier subscription that now includes pay-per-view offerings at no additional cost. This should be of value to many Boxing fans due to now the PBC events being available to DAZN Ultimate subscribers at no additional cost. Although it is not my intention to pen what could essentially be copy for a commercial promoting the network, a monthly or annual subscription is indeed more cost-effective for consumers as opposed to being asked to pay an inflated fee on a per-event basis, regardless of what the headline attractions of those events might be.
The question is obviously with so many promoters on one platform does it create a monopoly and ultimately, will it serve in the best interest of both consumers and the sport? A cynical viewpoint as well as a realistic one, is Boxing does not have as many broadcasters involved in the sport in 2026 as was the case in decades past. There are several reasons for that, none of which have anything to do with the sport itself or its appeal, but have a lot to do with what became a focus on what was meant to be used for legitimate special occasions in the sport/major events, pay-per-view, which in turn gradually eroded not only the amount of content offered across both free to air broadcast television as well as cable, which over time took what would have been marquee bouts away from free television or from cable networks like HBO and Showtime, which for lack of a better term made whatever was televised on those networks seem secondary by putting the perceived major bouts in the sport behind a paywall. This in addition to consistently raising prices for such events, the frequency of which the pay-per-view model has been used, and the stalling tactics, which delayed fights of significant interest from being made and promoters and fighters refusing to come to the negotiating table for such bouts eventually it created a scenario where free to air networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox eventually bowed out of the sport and were ultimately followed by HBO and Showtime as well after both networks, who had invested significantly in Boxing over decades eventually divested and exited as both became to a significant extent casualties of corporate mergers that is still a major issue in the overall landscape of television.
It goes without saying that having less platforms actively invested in Boxing along with the over reliance on the pay-per-view model has led to where things are now for Boxing. An obvious concern is even with essential 95% of the sport’s major promoters under one global broadcast platform, is that the ways of old including a reluctance of the various promoters to work together to bring about fights of significant interest and to do so in a more reasonable timeframe than having the public wait, at times several years, before a fight takes place where more often than not, by the time it does it leaves the public feeling very underwhelmed. There is also an obvious danger as well for DAZN in that now with a tier subscription approach, the motivation should be to try and increase long-term subscriptions, but also make it appealing for existing subscribers to stay on. There will come a point where subscription prices will have to stabilize where the ceiling of how high subscription rates can go will have to reach a ceiling or like other networks that were heavily invested in Boxing before them, DAZN may eventually find themselves making a similar decision to that of the aforementioned networks, first by divesting and then by exiting Boxing altogether. It would be a shame if that happens because the potential to grow the sport far beyond any level it has seen before and expose it to new eyes regardless of one’s economic level is there. Will this be the watershed moment where Boxing finally gets out of its own way for the good of the sport? I sincerely hope so.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
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