In a strategic move to deepen its presence in the U.S. Hispanic sports market, DAZN has locked in exclusive Spanish-language streaming rights for 38 UEFA Champions League matches per season over the next two years. The deal, struck through a sublicensing agreement with TelevisaUnivision, also includes shared rights for two quarterfinals, both semifinals, and the highly coveted final.
The agreement is not limited to the Champions League. It extends to UEFA’s Europa League, bringing a comparable volume of exclusive matches to DAZN’s U.S. offering.
A Bigger Play in the OTT Chessboard
DAZN’s move follows its billion-dollar global partnership with FIFA to stream the Club World Cup for free worldwide. That deal also includes sublicensing select matches in the U.S. to TelevisaUnivision and TNT Sports, making DAZN one of the most aggressive rights players in the OTT arena today.
While CBS retains English-language broadcast rights to the Champions League in the U.S. through 2030, TelevisaUnivision holds the Spanish-language rights until the 2026-27 season. DAZN’s sublicensing deal effectively reshapes how those rights are leveraged and monetized.
Previously, Univision, UniMás, and TUDN aired marquee matches, while the rest were hosted on ViX+, TelevisaUnivision’s Spanish-language streaming service. That model is now evolving, with ViX+ set to carry fewer exclusive matches, and DAZN emerging as a premium Spanish-language destination for elite European football.
Strategic Insight: Why This Matters
This is more than just a content deal—it’s a power shift in the U.S. streaming wars.
DAZN’s sublicensing approach positions it not just as a challenger to ViX+ or linear broadcasters, but as a strategic aggregator of premium football content in a fragmented media landscape. With the Hispanic market being one of the fastest-growing football consumer segments in the U.S., the platform is planting a long-term stake in culturally relevant content.
The uncertainty around Spanish-language U.S. rights beyond 2027 also creates a dynamic battlefield where DAZN, TelevisaUnivision, and CBS may find themselves renegotiating alliances or battling for supremacy.
Consulting Insight: What Should Stakeholders Do?
For broadcasters & OTT platforms:
Begin diversifying your language-specific rights strategy. Dual-language monetization models (bundled Spanish + English tiers) could unlock new subscriber segments.
For brands targeting U.S. Hispanics:
This deal presents a new, culturally rich sponsorship avenue. Partnering with DAZN during marquee match windows could offer high-reach visibility at a fraction of the cost of linear primetime placements.
For UEFA & Relevent Sports:
There’s a compelling case to expand language-led packages in future rights cycles—offering separate deals for Spanish, Portuguese, and bilingual content could significantly increase total value.
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IMAGE: Bloomberg
