Dazn Sells Minority Stake to Saudi Arabia’s Surj Sports Investment in Landmark $1 Billion Deal
Surj Sports Investment, the sports investment unit of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund (Pif), has acquired a minority stake in billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Dazn sports streaming service in an agreement that could radically change the sports content ecosystem in the Middle East.
The long-gestating deal — widely believed to involve Pif paying $1 billion in exchange for 10 per cent of Dazn — gives Saudi Arabia a piece of Dazn, which in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region rivals powerhouse beIN Sports, from neighboring Qatar. Qatar, incidentally, hosted the FIFA soccer World Cup in 2022, while Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 edition of that event.
Founded in 2007, London-based Dazn, which has been dubbed the “Netflix of sports,” is now operating in more than 200 markets, having gone on a systematic sports rights’ buying spree that caused the streamer to report a £1.2 billion ($1.51 billion) loss for 2023. The deal with Surj Sports will...
The long-gestating deal — widely believed to involve Pif paying $1 billion in exchange for 10 per cent of Dazn — gives Saudi Arabia a piece of Dazn, which in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region rivals powerhouse beIN Sports, from neighboring Qatar. Qatar, incidentally, hosted the FIFA soccer World Cup in 2022, while Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 2034 edition of that event.
Founded in 2007, London-based Dazn, which has been dubbed the “Netflix of sports,” is now operating in more than 200 markets, having gone on a systematic sports rights’ buying spree that caused the streamer to report a £1.2 billion ($1.51 billion) loss for 2023. The deal with Surj Sports will...
- 2/18/2025
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Similar News
The 25 Best Modern Action Movies
- 4/25/2025
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Why ‘Until Dawn’ Video Game Writers Aren’t Credited on the Movie
- 4/25/2025
- by Simon Abrams
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“It has kind of slipped away from the zeitgeist”: ‘The Office’ Star on Why Steve Carell’s Series Endured Time While a Similar Show Became Obscure
- 4/25/2025
- by Heena Singh
- FandomWire
Israel TV Giant Reshet 13 Completes Buyout Deal, Cutting Warner Bros. Discovery’s Stake
- 4/21/2025
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Len Blavatnik‘s Access Industries, Warner Bros. Discovery to Sell Controlling Stake in Reshet 13
- 3/17/2025
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harvey Weinstein Accuses Brother Bob of Financial Betrayal in Lawsuit
- 2/17/2025
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Free-to-Air Football: Channel 5 Nets FIFA Club World Cup Matches
- 4/23/2025
- by Noah Masire
- MemorableTV
Dazn rolls out new Scores feature for soccer fans
- 4/22/2025
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
Australia’s Video Industry Set to Grow To $12.3B By 2030; YouTube & Netflix Lead Minutes Streamed — Report
- 4/10/2025
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.