Bolstering its year-round offering of live events and original programming for a Canadian audience, DAZN Canada has landed the exclusive rights to broadcast this year’s Summer International rugby matches, running from July 3 to July 17.
The deal – brokered between DAZN Canada and Pitch International, which represents media rights for various sports worldwide – comes on the heels of DAZN’s landmark announcement bringing women’s soccer to viewers for free for the first time via an agreement with UEFA and YouTube, and includes exclusive access to six upcoming international rugby union matches – two of which feature the Canadian team.
After a long pandemic-fuelled hiatus, the Canadian team – which hasn’t had a chance to play since the Rugby World Cup in 2019 – kicked off against Wales in Cardiff this past Saturday, July 3, and were soundly beaten 68-12. The second Canadian match is scheduled for July 10 against England.
Six Nations Rugby is already a part of DAZN’s programming slate, but the International Summer series adds more rugby to the mix, adding to the streamer’s always-on offering. Haiwen Lu, VP of global communication and social impact at DAZN, says, “While there’s no advertising to confirm yet for these specific broadcasts, as we continue to grow our rights – such as with rugby and the recent Women’s Champions League rights announced – we’re also constantly looking to expand existing advertising partnerships and bring in new advertisers along the way.”
According to Lu, DAZN doesn’t share subscriber numbers or demographic data, but she says that DAZN Canada has an extremely healthy audience base that continues to steadily grow.
With the addition of the International Summer series, DAZN becomes the only place Canadians access every live NFL game and watch NFL RedZone. DAZN is also home of Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League and also offers Serie A, MLS Live, MLB Network, boxing, MMA and cricket.
DAZN also recently announced the addition of live horse racing into its stable of programming, with a four-part series called DAZN Day at the Races in partnership with Woodbine Racetrack. The series kicked off on June 26, featuring racing from Woodbine in Toronto as well as Belmont Racetrack in New York, Delaware Park Racetrack in Delaware and Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
