“I think price has really become a non-issue”: DAZN extends Ligue 1 promotion by one week

“Un écosystème est en train de se mettre en place”, veut croire DAZN. dpa – Harry Langer

Criticized for the price of the subscription, DAZN assures to make a “flawless start”.

With "very good feedback", the British streaming platform DAZN extends until the end of September its promotion on the price of the Ligue 1 subscription for which it has been criticized, announced to the AFP the boss of DAZN France. "The feedback from Ligue 1 fans, clubs, from the entire market is very good. So, we decided to continue for a week", explained Brice Daumin, CEO of DAZN France.

A long soap opera

The initial reduction, valid from September 10 to 22, brought the annual rate from 29.99 to 19.99 euros per month. The promotion on the monthly subscription, 19.99 euros for the first two months, 39.99 euros thereafter, also runs until the end of the month, the manager said. He believes that “the criticism is behind us. I think the price has really become a non-issue, because with the welcome promo at 19.99 euros for 12 months we have all of Ligue 1 (one match per day is on beIN Sports), all of Betclic Elite (French basketball championship), MMA, finally all combat sports…"

At the end of a long saga, DAZN acquired the TV broadcasting rights for eight Ligue 1 matches per day at the beginning of July for an average of 400 million euros per year, with beIN Sports broadcasting one match for 100 million euros per year. The subscription rate offered by DAZN has attracted much criticism, with a rush to illegal broadcasting methods and fans expressing their discontent in stadiums through chants and banners, also targeting BeIN Sports.

Fighting piracy

To fight piracy, Brice Daumin maintains a "strong relationship obviously with ARCOM (Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority), with the League, with APPS(association for the protection of sports programs), the association for the fight against sports piracy, of which we will soon be a member".

"It is the entire creative industry that is concerned" by piracy, "it is not just a DAZN subject", he specifies. To assess DAZN's success in France, the subscriber figures for the British platform remain secret, but Brice Daumin “measures success by the satisfaction of our subscribers and the satisfaction of the clubs”.

All the clubs we meet are happy with what we do, from an editorial point of view

He assures that“All the clubs we meet are happy with what we do, from an editorial point of view and from a promotional point of view and the work we do with them”. This work, he says, “is the key, it is important for us to understand their expectations, this is how we will promote Ligue 1 and the clubs. “

A flawless start

The manager also judges the first five weeks of Ligue 1 operation as “a flawless start. We are also doing flawlessly in basketball, which we launched on Friday". "I think the ecosystem is understanding everything we can bring: DAZN is a 100% digital player, we are a platform, not a channel or a traditional broadcaster", he continues.

"We are transforming the way we consume sport and that is something that is completely new". Brice Daumin thus evokes the possibility of "addressing fans where they are, on social networks, in digital ecosystems" but also "the capacity to sell derivative products, merchandising, ticketing… An ecosystem is being set up".