February 21 – Sports broadcaster DAZN can’t keep itself out of the news in one way or another. Hot on the heels of agreeing to a billion-dollar investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, they are now embroiled in a row with Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).
February 18 – The rumours surrounding the Saudi Arabian investment in DAZN can now be confirmed as fact, after SURJ Sports Investment agreed to buy a minority stake in the sports broadcaster.
SURJ Sports Investment is part of the Saudi fund known as PIF (Public Investment Fund) and was launched in 2023. It will work with DAZN to create DAZN MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
February 17 – In the latest broadcast crisis in French football, the Professional Football League (LFP) has taken legal action against rights-holder DAZN over withheld payments.
February 14 – Streaming platform DAZN and US Spanish-language broadcaster Univision have agreed a sublicense deal for 18 Club World Cup matches across its channels.
February 10 – The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband) is pursuing a class action lawsuit against DAZN, alleging unjustified price increases.
February 3 – Evision, the media and entertainment subsidiary of UAE mobile telecoms business e& (formerly Etisalat), has announced a strategic partnership with FIFA+ to bring the football-focused channel to STARZ ON, its free ad-supported streaming platform. This collaboration aims to enhance football content offerings in the MENA region by providing 24/7 access to premium FIFA programming at no cost.
February 3 – Women’s football is perhaps the fastest growing sector within the game, and that theme looks set to continue now that East London Ladies FC and MOLO have teamed up to celebrate one woman’s impact on grassroots football over the last decade in their new documentary ‘The New Gaffer’.
January 31 – The MLS’s groundbreaking 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple is starting to show cracks after just two seasons, with not even Lionel Messi driving the subscriber growth that was predicted for the streaming service both within the US and internationally.
January 28 – Major League Soccer (MLS) is moving its productions to WWE Headquarters in Stamford Connecticut from East Harlem, New York.
January 20 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has signed a TV rights agreement with broadcaster HT Spor for Nesine 2nd League and Nesine 3rd League matches. The agreement will run until the end of this season in June.
January 17 – The announcement that the entire country of England has been anxiously awaiting has finally happened. Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will be the new Match of the Day (MOTD) presenters from next season, the BBC has announced.
January 16 – In 2030, Spain will co-host their first World Cup since the fiesta hit Iberian shores in 1982, but before a ball is kicked, the all-important media rights are up for grabs.
January 15 – After months of speculation, Saudi Arabia is closing in on a $1 billion investment in sports streaming platform DAZN, offering the Arab Kingdom a sports broadcasting arm and home to sports rights properties.
January 8 – In a streaming shake-up, Disney has acquired a majority stake in FuboTV with Hulu + Live TV to combine forces in the market.
January 2 – UEFA’s Euro 2024 championships were the most streamed sports event in 2024, with a cumulative global audience of more than 5 billion globally, comfortably beating the 2024 Paris Olympics that was streamed by more than 3 billion.