DAZN has reportedly acquired the rights to the Saudi Pro League, making its anticipated splash in the UK football broadcasting market.
Consequently, every game from the Saudi top tier will be broadcast on the platform, commencing with Steven Gerrard’s first league game as Al-Ettifaq manager when he takes on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
The clash of the two footballing legends underlines the growth in star power of the league, with a multitude of big name signings incoming in the recent window from some of Europe’s most famous clubs.
As the league picked up momentum in the European market last year, largely fuelled by Ronaldo joining in January, Sky Sports picked up the rights to the second half of the campaign. However, this season marks the first in which a UK broadcaster has committed to the full season schedule.
It also marks a key step for DAZN, with football broadcasting rights in the UK being immensely challenging and being something that has been a key focus for the platform.
Whilst Premier League rights continue to elude the OTT group, picking up the Saudi Pro League rights can help further edge the firm into the mindset of football fans in the region.
DAZN’s previous rights in the UK have been largely based around combat sports – with their flagship partnership being with Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua, as well as a key partnership with burgeoning MMA promotion, the PFL.
Whilst the Saudi will be seen by many as something of a gamble, the star power that competition has acquired in the past few months will inevitably draw eyes to the league.
