DAZN eyes the sky: live sports streaming goes inflight
DAZN announced plans to launch a new division, DAZN Inflight, in 2027 to distribute DAZN live sports to passengers on aircraft and vessels, citing improving onboard connectivity, reliability, and bandwidth. The unit will be led by Aviv Giladi (president, DAZN Partnerships) and would compete with existing inflight live sports providers such as IMG’s Sport24, which distributes 24/7 sports channels to airlines and cruise lines.
Key Takeaways
- DAZN will create a dedicated inflight unit (DAZN Inflight) with a 2027 launch target for planes and boats
- Aviv Giladi will lead the effort, signaling a partnerships-led go-to-market approach with airlines and maritime operators
- DAZN will compete directly with IMG’s Sport24, a 24/7 inflight sports channel distributing 6,000+ live hours annually
- The bet hinges on rising onboard bandwidth, reliability, and service quality enabling “watch live” experiences at altitude
- Inflight distribution adds a new premium surface for rights monetization, ad inventory, and differentiated subscriber value
Why It Matters
Inflight is turning into the next “living room”—a captive, high-value environment where live sports can command premium sponsorships and justify higher distribution fees. If DAZN can make streams reliable at 35,000 feet, it proves the broader thesis that live sports is becoming truly location-agnostic, pushing platforms to optimize for edge delivery, latency, DRM, and rights windows across new networks. For airlines and cruise lines, live sports is a loyalty lever; for DAZN, it’s a wedge into a market long dominated by linear-style channels like Sport24. Expect rights negotiations to start carving out “inflight” as a distinct territory.
Read full article at broadcastnow.co.uk