DAZN Agrees to Acquire EverPass Media, Expanding Its Commercial Sports-Distribution Business

Global sports entertainment platform DAZN has agreed to acquire EverPass Media, giving the company an established U.S. commercial sports-distribution operation and accelerating its expansion beyond direct-to-consumer streaming into bars, restaurants, hotels and other public venues.

The transaction, announced on August 26, will combine DAZN's global sports portfolio and international commercial reach with EverPass' U.S. streaming technology, venue relationships and premium sports-distribution agreements.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

EverPass holds the exclusive commercial distribution rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and also provides commercial venues with programming spanning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, MLB, NBA, WNBA, Formula 1 and several other sports.

Following completion, EverPass will be rebranded as DAZN for Business, forming the technology and operational foundation of DAZN's next-generation commercial distribution platform.

The deal significantly expands DAZN's position in the United States while advancing a broader strategy: becoming not only a streaming destination for individual sports fans, but also a global infrastructure and distribution provider for businesses showing live sport.

DAZN Agrees to Acquire EverPass Media

DAZN's agreement to acquire EverPass represents an important expansion of its commercial distribution strategy.

EverPass was founded in 2023 by 32 Equity, the NFL's strategic investment arm, and RedBird Capital Partners.

TKO Group Holdings subsequently became an investor.

The company was created specifically to address the changing way commercial establishments access premium sports programming as distribution shifts from traditional satellite and cable infrastructure toward internet-based streaming.

DAZN will combine that infrastructure with its own global technology, content relationships and distribution capabilities.

Deal Launches DAZN for Business Globally

One of the most significant consequences of the transaction is the full global launch of:

DAZN for Business.

The service will target commercial venues including:

  • bars

  • restaurants

  • hotels

  • hospitality businesses

  • entertainment venues

  • other establishments showing live sports

DAZN already operates commercial sports services internationally.

EverPass gives the company a substantial platform for entering the U.S. commercial market and creating a more unified global business.

Following completion of the transaction, the EverPass brand will formally transition to DAZN for Business.

EverPass Brings NFL Sunday Ticket Commercial Rights

The NFL relationship represents one of the transaction's most strategically valuable components.

EverPass holds the exclusive commercial distribution rights for NFL Sunday Ticket.

The package provides every live out-of-market Sunday regular-season afternoon NFL game to commercial establishments.

This is distinct from the residential consumer offering.

For sports bars and similar businesses, NFL Sunday Ticket can be an important customer-acquisition tool because venues can show games involving teams from outside their local television markets.

The rights therefore give DAZN immediate access to one of the most commercially important sports packages in the United States.

EverPass and DirecTV Already Have a Distribution Agreement

EverPass strengthened its NFL distribution infrastructure in July 2026 through an agreement with DirecTV.

Under the arrangement, the companies collaborate to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket to commercial establishments using both satellite and streaming technology.

The hybrid approach is important because the U.S. commercial market remains technologically fragmented.

Some venues have transitioned toward streaming.

Others continue relying heavily on traditional satellite infrastructure.

Supporting both models gives EverPass—and eventually DAZN for Business—a broader potential customer base.

EverPass Offers Much More Than the NFL

While NFL Sunday Ticket is a flagship property, EverPass' content portfolio extends substantially beyond American football.

Commercial establishments can access programming associated with major leagues and competitions including:

the English Premier League,

UEFA Champions League,

Major League Baseball,

NBA,

WNBA,

National Women's Soccer League,

NASCAR,

PGA TOUR,

Major League Soccer,

Formula 1,

college football,

and college basketball.

This gives DAZN a broad foundation for building a multi-sport commercial service rather than depending on a single premium property.

Partnerships Extend Across Major Streaming Platforms

EverPass also maintains distribution relationships with several major media and technology companies.

Its partnerships include programming associated with:

Peacock, Netflix, Paramount and Apple.

It also has relationships with regional sports networks including YES Network and Chicago Sports Network.

This aggregation capability is strategically important.

Sports rights have become increasingly fragmented across multiple streaming platforms and broadcasters.

For commercial businesses, accessing all relevant programming separately can become complicated.

A platform capable of bringing multiple services together can therefore solve an increasingly important operational problem.

Sports Fragmentation Creates an Aggregation Opportunity

The modern sports-media market is moving in two directions simultaneously.

Consumers have more streaming choices than ever.

At the same time, sports rights are becoming distributed across more platforms.

A restaurant wanting to show football, basketball, baseball, motorsport and soccer may need relationships with multiple providers.

That creates complexity involving:

subscriptions,

hardware,

licensing,

screen management,

and scheduling.

Commercial aggregation can reduce that complexity.

DAZN's acquisition of EverPass therefore represents not simply the purchase of sports rights but an investment in the infrastructure used to manage an increasingly fragmented media ecosystem.

EverPass Has Built Technology Specifically for Businesses

EverPass differs from ordinary consumer streaming platforms because its technology was designed specifically for commercial venues.

Its IP-based system allows businesses to manage sports programming across multiple screens and locations.

Capabilities include:

centralised screen management,

smart content scheduling,

integration with existing audiovisual equipment,

commercial-grade streaming hardware,

venue marketing tools,

and performance measurement.

These capabilities are particularly valuable for businesses operating multiple televisions or multiple locations.

Managing Multiple Screens Is a Commercial Problem

Watching sports at home is relatively simple.

A commercial establishment may operate ten, twenty or considerably more screens simultaneously.

Different customers may want different events.

Managers need to determine:

which match appears on which screen,

when programming begins,

whether subscriptions cover commercial use,

and how content changes throughout the day.

Large hospitality groups may need to coordinate those decisions across numerous venues.

EverPass has developed technology specifically around these requirements.

DAZN intends to use that platform as the foundation of its broader commercial business.

DAZN Plans Further Investment in the Platform

The acquisition is not intended merely to preserve EverPass' existing operations.

DAZN plans to invest in expanding:

the technology,

content portfolio,

platform capabilities,

and geographic reach.

The ambition is to develop a global technology and distribution platform for premium sports in commercial venues.

That could eventually allow infrastructure developed for the U.S. market to be deployed across DAZN's international footprint.

This is where the strategic value of the combination becomes significantly larger.

DAZN Gains Immediate Access to the U.S. Commercial Market

The United States is one of the world's largest sports-media markets.

However, building a commercial distribution network from the ground up would require:

technology,

rights agreements,

venue relationships,

sales infrastructure,

customer support,

and commercial licensing expertise.

Acquiring EverPass provides many of these capabilities immediately.

Instead of spending years developing a comparable operation independently, DAZN can integrate an existing platform with established market relationships.

DAZN Is Expanding Its U.S. Sports Strategy

The transaction fits into a broader expansion of DAZN's U.S. operations.

The company has historically been strongly associated with boxing in the American market.

Its relationships with major promoters have established DAZN as an important digital destination for combat sports.

More recently, the company has expanded its U.S. content and technology capabilities through additional partnerships and acquisitions.

EverPass extends that strategy into a fundamentally different market:

business-to-business sports distribution.

That gives DAZN another route for participating in U.S. sports economics beyond selling subscriptions directly to consumers.

DAZN Can Now Target Both Homes and Commercial Venues

The strategic distinction is important.

Consumer streaming asks:

How does an individual fan watch a game?

Commercial distribution asks:

How does a business legally and reliably show that game to hundreds of customers?

These are related but structurally different markets.

DAZN's existing consumer platform addresses the first.

EverPass strengthens its ability to address the second.

Together, they allow DAZN to participate across more of the sports-viewing ecosystem.

Commercial Sports Rights Have Different Economics

Sports programming shown in a commercial venue generally requires licensing arrangements designed specifically for business use.

A residential subscription does not necessarily provide the right to display content publicly in a restaurant or bar.

Commercial distribution therefore represents its own market.

Venue operators may pay based on factors such as:

business type,

capacity,

location,

package,

and sports content.

Premium events can become significant revenue generators for hospitality businesses because they attract customers who purchase food and beverages while watching.

That makes sports rights economically valuable beyond the household streaming market.

Live Sports Can Drive Hospitality Revenue

The commercial value of sports is ultimately connected to consumer behaviour.

Major sporting events can bring groups of fans together.

For restaurants and bars, those gatherings can generate:

higher footfall,

longer customer visits,

food sales,

beverage sales,

repeat visits,

and special-event opportunities.

The sports package itself therefore becomes part of a venue's customer-acquisition strategy.

EverPass has built additional marketing capabilities around this idea.

Its platform can help businesses use their screens to promote offers, engage visitors and measure campaign performance.

EverPass Technology Goes Beyond Video Distribution

The platform's value is not limited to delivering a live video stream.

EverPass also provides tools allowing businesses to use screens as customer-engagement infrastructure.

Venues can potentially:

promote specials,

display branded content,

use QR codes,

run interactive campaigns,

and measure engagement.

This turns television screens from passive entertainment devices into potential marketing channels.

For DAZN, these capabilities create opportunities to develop additional commercial services beyond sports subscriptions.

RedBird, 32 Equity and TKO Will Become DAZN Shareholders

The transaction also creates new strategic relationships at DAZN's shareholder level.

Following completion:

RedBird Capital Partners, 32 Equity and TKO Group Holdings will become minority shareholders in DAZN.

The structure keeps EverPass' existing strategic investors connected to the business after the acquisition.

That is particularly important because 32 Equity is the NFL's investment arm.

DAZN already maintains a significant relationship with the NFL through international distribution, including NFL Game Pass.

The transaction therefore deepens the connections between DAZN and major institutions across the sports industry.

EverPass CEO Alex Kaplan Will Continue Leading the Business

Leadership continuity will also be maintained.

Alex Kaplan, CEO of EverPass, will continue to lead the business following completion of the transaction.

He will additionally take on a broader role within DAZN.

Maintaining existing leadership can help preserve EverPass' relationships with:

rights holders,

commercial venues,

distribution partners,

and employees

during integration.

Existing customers are also expected to continue receiving their current services without interruption as a result of the acquisition.

DAZN Is Building a Broader Sports Ecosystem

The EverPass deal demonstrates how DAZN's strategy is moving beyond the traditional definition of a streaming service.

The company increasingly operates across:

consumer streaming,

sports rights,

commercial distribution,

technology infrastructure,

advertising,

interactive fan experiences,

and other sports-related services.

That creates multiple potential revenue streams from the same sports ecosystem.

A single event can potentially generate value through consumer subscriptions, commercial venue licensing, advertising and other engagement products.

Commercial Distribution Could Become a Global Growth Engine

The biggest long-term opportunity may lie outside the United States.

EverPass provides DAZN with a technology foundation that can potentially be adapted for other markets.

Sports bars, hotels and restaurants exist in every major sports economy.

Many face the same problems:

fragmented rights,

multiple subscriptions,

complicated hardware,

commercial licensing requirements,

and difficult screen management.

If DAZN can solve these problems through a unified global platform, DAZN for Business could become an important business-to-business growth engine.

Streaming Is Transforming Commercial Sports Distribution

Commercial sports distribution has historically relied heavily on satellite and cable infrastructure.

Streaming is gradually changing that model.

Internet-based distribution can potentially provide:

greater flexibility,

more content choices,

centralised control,

faster deployment,

and easier management across multiple locations.

But commercial streaming must also be highly reliable.

A technical failure during a major sporting event can have direct financial consequences for a venue.

The combination of DAZN's streaming scale and EverPass' purpose-built commercial infrastructure is designed to address that opportunity.

The Acquisition Strengthens DAZN's Role Between Rights Holders and Fans

Sports-media companies increasingly compete not only for rights but also for control over distribution.

A platform connecting rights holders with:

individual subscribers,

commercial establishments,

hospitality groups,

and distribution partners

occupies a strategically valuable position.

DAZN's EverPass acquisition strengthens that role.

The company can potentially provide rights holders with access to both consumer and commercial audiences through related infrastructure.

That could make DAZN a more important distribution partner when negotiating future sports relationships.

Conclusion

DAZN's agreement to acquire EverPass Media represents a significant expansion of its U.S. operations and a broader move into global commercial sports distribution.

EverPass brings the exclusive U.S. commercial distribution rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, relationships spanning major sports leagues and streaming services, and an IP-based technology platform designed specifically for bars, restaurants, hotels and other commercial venues.

Following completion, EverPass will become DAZN for Business, providing the foundation for DAZN's next-generation commercial distribution platform.

The transaction also brings RedBird Capital Partners, the NFL's 32 Equity and TKO Group Holdings into DAZN as minority shareholders, while EverPass CEO Alex Kaplan will continue leading the operation.

Most importantly, the deal expands DAZN's business beyond the question of how fans stream sports individually.

The company is increasingly positioning itself to provide the technology and distribution infrastructure through which sports can be watched anywhere—from personal devices and homes to bars, restaurants, hotels and other shared venues around the world.