DAZN adds AEW Wrestling to its combat sports roster

DAZN has secured exclusive broadcast rights to leading US wrestling series All Elite Wrestling. The deal is described as “a multi-year agreement that will bring AEW’s matches and entertainment to subscribers in 42 markets across Europe and Asia.”

Founded in 2019, AEW is regarded as the second biggest wrestling franchise in the US after WWE. All told, the partnership will bring around 200 live events to the platform, with matches featured across several weekdays. These will add to DAZN’s existing strength in combat sport, with the platform already carrying boxing and MMA.

In other news, DAZN is reported by SportBusiness to have restructured its tripartite strategic relationship with the European Handball Federation (EHF) and rights agency Infront. Launched in 2020, the partnership was described at the time as “a new way of thinking in the production and marketing of handball across owned, earned and paid media”. The transformational deal was valued at around €500-600 million over ten years and described as “the biggest in the history of the sport”. While the over-arching partnership looks to have ended, however, DAZN has elected to retain broadcasting rights to EHF club competitions in Spain and German-speaking territories.