DAZN to acquire EverPass Media
DAZNAcquirer
EverPass MediaTarget
On July 31, 2026 DAZN announced it will acquire EverPass Media, the operator of the NFL Sunday Ticket streaming service, with deal terms undisclosed. The transaction keeps EverPass Media’s streaming platform running while DIRECTV assumes sales and distribution for business customers, reshaping the B2B sports‑media landscape.
DAZN announced on July 31, 2026 that it will acquire EverPass Media, the operator of the NFL Sunday Ticket streaming service, with financial terms not disclosed. The deal also includes a separate licensing arrangement under which DIRECTV will take over sales and distribution of the NFL Ticket product for business customers, while EverPass Media continues to run the underlying streaming technology.
Deal Terms
The acquisition was disclosed without any valuation or multiple, and the parties confirmed that the transaction will close pending customary regulatory approvals. EverPass Media will remain the technical provider of the NFL Sunday Ticket streaming experience, but the commercial relationship with business venues—bars, restaurants, and hotels—will shift to DIRECTV. DAZN’s existing B2B offering, DAZN For Business, already serves commercial venues across Europe, giving the acquirer a proven playbook for scaling streaming services in the hospitality sector.
Strategic Rationale
DAZN’s entry into the U.S. sports‑streaming market has been incremental, focused on its consumer‑facing platform. Acquiring EverPass Media gives DAZN direct control over a vertical SaaS platform that already supports a high‑value, subscription‑based sports product. By retaining the streaming stack, DAZN can leverage the existing infrastructure, data pipelines, and user‑experience framework to cross‑sell its broader content catalog to business accounts. The licensing deal with DIRECTV mitigates the risk of losing the NFL Ticket brand’s distribution channel, as DIRECTV’s entrenched sales force will continue to drive revenue from the business segment.
The transaction also reflects a broader trend of consolidation among niche B2B streaming providers. As sports leagues seek to monetize premium content through both direct‑to‑consumer and business‑to‑business channels, owners of specialized streaming platforms become attractive targets for larger multi‑content operators seeking to diversify revenue streams and improve net revenue retention. For EverPass Media, the partnership with DAZN and the licensing agreement with DIRECTV provide a clear path to maintain operational stability while expanding its addressable market beyond the United States.
Overall, the acquisition positions DAZN to deepen its foothold in the high‑margin B2B sports‑media segment, while the licensing arrangement ensures continuity for business customers that have historically relied on DIRECTV’s distribution network.
Why It Matters
For DAZN, the acquisition adds a proven vertical SaaS platform that can be integrated into its existing B2B portfolio, potentially accelerating ARR growth in the U.S. hospitality market. EverPass Media gains the backing of a global streaming brand and a clear distribution partner, reducing the operational risk of maintaining a standalone sales channel. DIRECTV, by assuming sales and distribution, preserves its revenue stream from business customers while offloading the technical burden of streaming, allowing it to focus on its core satellite and broadband services. Competitors that rely solely on direct sales or own less mature streaming stacks may find themselves at a disadvantage in winning new venue contracts.
Key Points
- DAZN will acquire EverPass Media, the operator of NFL Sunday Ticket, with deal terms undisclosed.
- DIRECTV will take over sales and distribution of NFL Ticket for business customers while EverPass Media continues to operate the streaming service.
- The acquisition gives DAZN a ready-made B2B sports‑streaming platform to complement its DAZN For Business offering.
- EverPass Media retains technical control, ensuring continuity for existing subscribers during the transition.
Analysis
The DAZN‑EverPass Media deal underscores the growing appetite among large content distributors to own end‑to‑end vertical SaaS platforms that serve high‑value business accounts. While the purchase price was not disclosed, the transaction likely reflects a valuation premium for a platform that already delivers recurring subscription revenue from NFL Sunday Ticket, a product with strong brand equity and high average revenue per user (ARPU) in the hospitality segment. By pairing the streaming stack with DIRECTV’s established sales force, DAZN can accelerate go‑to‑market execution without the need to build a new distribution channel from scratch, a move that should improve net revenue retention (NRR) as existing business customers transition smoothly.
For investors, the deal illustrates how consolidation can unlock incremental ARR in niche B2B verticals where churn is low and expansion revenue is driven by venue upgrades and multi‑seat licensing. The licensing arrangement also mitigates execution risk, allowing DAZN to focus on product integration and cross‑selling while DIRECTV safeguards its revenue pipeline. As sports leagues continue to explore hybrid distribution models, operators that combine robust streaming technology with strong commercial partnerships are likely to command higher multiples, reinforcing the strategic value of acquiring specialized SaaS assets in the media space.