DAZN has reorganised its senior leadership team, entering what it refers to as its next phase of profitable growth.
DAZN has appointed Patrick Delany as Chief Operating Officer, Alex Gersh as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Darren Waterman has moved from CFO into the newly created role of Chief Business Officer.
All three will report to CEO Shay Segev, who said: “DAZN is entering an exciting new chapter of profitable growth, during which we will build on the strong momentum we have created in the business.”
The changes come after a period of expansion for the sports streaming giant, which reached profitability for the first time in 2025 and has since grown through acquisitions, rights deals and platform partnerships.
The company acquired Foxtel Group in 2024 and has more recently added ViewLift and EverPass, renewed premium rights in key markets, added FIFA+ to its platform and captured a larger share of the US regional sports market.
Delany handed keys to the engine room
Delany will take responsibility for the day-to-day performance of the streaming giant, including subscriber growth, revenue, pricing and packaging, rights renewals, rights holder relationships, content production, advertising and sponsorship.
He brings more than 30 years of experience across media and subscription businesses and most recently led Foxtel Group before overseeing its integration into DAZN. He also played a key role in launching and growing Kayo Sports and BINGE in Australia.
Speaking at ICE in January, Segev said the long-term goal was to make the streaming giant a single global destination for sports fans, offering live content in addition to betting, social interaction, statistics and personalised viewing experiences.
“Our vision in DAZN is that we want every customer around the world to use DAZN as the go‑to, as the destination platform for sport,” he said at the time.
Segev compared the ambition with Spotify’s impact on the music industry, stating that convenience and user experience were essential to reducing piracy and changing how people consumed content.
“What solved [music] piracy was actually the user experience,” he said. “Spotify just becomes a convenient product… you pay $9 or $10 a month, you get all the music you want. You didn’t need to download illegal songs.”
Profitability alters the brief
DAZN has appointed Gersh to oversee financial strategy, capital allocation, group performance and value creation as the company looks to build on reaching profitability for the first time in 2025.
He brings experience across sports, betting, technology and telecoms, having previously served as CFO at Sportradar, where he helped lead the company through its Nasdaq listing, as well as holding senior finance roles at Betfair and Paddy Power.
Waterman, meanwhile, will move from CFO into the newly created Chief Business Officer role, taking responsibility for partnerships, distribution and corporate transactions.
The company said 2025 was a financial turning point, with the company reaching profitability after years of heavy investment in rights, technology and international expansion.
Only a year earlier, the business was still reporting significant losses. In 2024, DAZN recorded an operating loss of $877.5m, although this had improved from $1.37bn in 2023, while revenue increased from $2.86bn to $3.19bn.
At the time, the company was targeting $5bn in revenue and relying on tighter cost controls, stronger margins and a broader rights portfolio to push the business towards profitability.
Gersh therefore arrives at a very different point in DAZN’s development, with a focus on proving the company can sustain profitability.
DACH leadership also changes for DAZN
DAZN also confirmed that Alice Mascia will leave the company at the end of 2026 after four years as CEO of the DACH region.
In a LinkedIn post, Mascia said her time in the role had focused on sustainable growth, profitability and strengthening the company’s position across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“DAZN in the DACH region is now in a stronger position than ever before. I am convinced that DAZN will continue to be successful and build on its track record of growth in the long term,” she wrote.
Felix Krause has returned to the company as Deputy CEO of DACH and will take over as regional CEO from January 1, 2027.
